The de Chagny Legacy
by Filhound
Summary: Eight years after the final lair Erik has chosen to live far from Paris and everyone connected with the events at the Opera House. He has accepted his fate of being alone, but Destiny has another path in mind. He must learn to explore unfamiliar territory and finally lay claim to his own humanity; he will not die alone and unloved. EC fans abandon this at your own peril.
1. Chapter 1

I have noticed that I lose more readers after this first chapter than in my other fics. If you are looking at this for the first time and are unfamiliar with my work, my first chapters set the stage for the drama to come. I am also known for my twists and turns in my narratives, which means that you should take nothing for granted. If you like a story where you can fully listen in on the character's thoughts and gain insight into their actions, then I suggest that you read beyond the first chapters before you judge. I also try to transport you to the time and place where the action takes place. If you are looking for a story that rifles though all of that, stop right here and close this fic. My stories are unique, and deeply written. I am looking to make you laugh and sometimes cry and most importantly feel for the characters, some are borrowed from Leroux, ALW and Kay. Others are products of my own imagination. So welcome to my domain if you dare, or leave now. Your choice. If you decide to enter I, like most authors here love hearing from you either by review, PM, favoriting or following or all of the above. I am writing here to both improve my writing and to tell you, the reader my stories. So again welcome please stay a while and enjoy...

Chapter 1

A mountain near Madison, Colorado USA: March 22, 1889

A lone horseman rode up the forlorn pathway leading to a high peak outside of the city of Madison, Colorado. The town was a mining settlement in the high mountains of Summit County west of Denver. It looked as if it had once been a raw frontier community, but the railroad connection to Denver and the East and San Francisco to the West had brought civilization to the verdant yet snowy peaks. The horseman's goal was a house several miles outside of town but it was a difficult climb for both man and beast. He could barely make out the outline of the pathway up the mountain it as it meandered through the woods. The resident of the house clearly did not want any visitors. It was more foreboding than even the Chateaux of his native France. The man began to panic as nighttime started to fall, a sudden wind blew snowflakes into his face.

The man began to wonder whether or not he was insane to attempt such a trek, alone. The townspeople would not go to the house perched almost to the edge of the tree line. It took most of the day to make the climb and the destination was known to be most unfriendly to outsiders. It was said that the owner had made a fortune in gold and silver, and retired to the mountain to escape humanity. He owned many of the mines in the area and had hundreds of employees and yet no one had ever laid eyes on him. The house was noted to be unreceptive to visitors. The owner had posted no trespassing signs all over the borders of his vast property. Unfortunately the traveler had urgent business to attend to and had to risk a meeting with the man. If it was the person that he sought, he might never find his way down the mountain again. The man was purported to possess a violent temperament and had killed at least two men in France, possibly more.

The house that he lived in was said to be haunted. Although the house was large, the man employed no one but two men of foreign birth from some distant land such as Arabia or Persia. The two men made the trek into town once a month or so to obtain supplies and carry correspondence to, and from the mansion, but the owner was as scarce as a ghost. Many claimed that he had been horribly disfigured during the Civil War or during the Indian wars and that he had been scalped, tortured and mutilated. It was also rumored that he had been with Custer at Little Bighorn and was the sole survivor. He supposedly escaped captivity and made his fortune; but then retired to the seclusion of the mountain top to hide his face from the curiosity of his fellow man. The visitor knew that if the man was who he believed him to be, that he had been born disfigured and that he once lived across the sea in France, beneath the Paris Opera house. He had ruled over the Palais Garnier like a tyrant ruling his kingdom, but his reign was cut short when he fell in love with a soprano. She drove him into madness, and first he killed a man and then he kidnapped the girl, who was in love with someone else. In his desperation he burned down the Opera house and fled into the night, leaving behind both a shell of a building and a legend.

The traveler, Pierre de la Croix, was once a Captain of the gendarme, in charge of apprehending the elusive Phantom of the Opera. He was there on that final night and witnessed the ghost in his final moments of madness. De la Croix had attempted help a nobleman, the Vicomte de Chagny, capture the ghost and bring him to justice for his crimes. The man got away and was never heard from again. For several years they searched in vain, de la Croix was his hunter, but he could never find his quarry. The Vicomte was desperate to make sure that his wife was safe from the man and repeatedly implored him to give him a report on his progress at apprehending him, but the result was always the same. The Opera Ghost had vanished into thin air like the specter that he claimed to be. Several years elapsed and the same Vicomte came to the Inspecteur with a strange request. He offered Monsieur de la Croix a great deal of money to retire from the gendarmes and work on his behalf. Strangely, he asked the same man to close the case of the Phantom of the Opera, before he retired and to declare that the Phantom had died in the fire on the same night. The Vicomte signed a sworn statement that he had witnessed the man burn to death. He produced a charred white half mask, known to belong to the madman as 'proof of his claims'.

A large payment of restitution to the victims of the madman, paid by the Vicomte further convinced the Parisians that the man once known as the Phantom of the Opera was dead. The man could have walked down the Champs de Elysee in full mask and evening suit and no one would dare ever accuse him of being the same man who had terrorized the Opera house. Monsieur de la Croix knew that the Vicomte was protecting his former enemy for a reason known only to him. Since he was no longer employed by the gendarmes, and was in the Vicomte's employ, he had not bothered to question him. It was not his place to care. The Vicomte also asked de la Croix to help him obtain a pardon for one E. Destler for all crimes committed prior to the events of February 6, 1881, the date that the opera house was burned. The Inspecteur knew that this was the same man as the one that had been declared dead. The Vicomte clearly wanted no stone to be left unturned in exonerating a clearly guilty man.

One day, six months prior to the present time, both the Vicomte and his wife were found shot in their mansion on the outskirts of Paris. The Vicomte had died instantly but the Vicomtesse was still alive but very weak. Their young son Gustave was found unharmed, he had not been home when the assassins called. A doctor was called using the recently installed telephone in the house; the dying Vicomtesse weakly motioned to Monsieur de la Croix. He could barely make out her words but it was clear that she had at some point crawled to a desk in the room and pulled out a small music box which had a monkey in Persian robes on top of it. She was clutching it in her hands and weakly told de la Croix to open it. He looked for a latch and found it and a small drawer popped open with a letter inside addressed to 'Erik'. There was a diamond engagement ring next to the letter. He took out the letter and showed it to her.

She looked relieved that he had done so and told him. "Find the Phantom, and give him this letter and this box and the ring. Ask him to raise our son and to forgive me. Tell him that I never stopped loving him, and that I regret making the wrong choices in the past." She seemed to grow weaker as she spoke. She was losing a lot of blood.

"But Madame la Vicomtesse I have searched for him for many years and have found no clues, not a single one. Perhaps he really is dead."

She shook her head no "He is alive. I would feel it if he was dead. I share a bond with him, and I know that he is there somewhere. Please find him and bring our son to him, he is the only one who will keep him safe."

"But I don't know where to find him. I have hunted for him for years." He told her gently "Do you?"

"Giry." She said faintly imploring him "Find Madame Giry."

"The ballet mistress?" he asked her.

"Yes. She will know…" She replied faintly.

"Who did this?"

She didn't have the strength to answer, she was fading into unconsciousness. A moment later was distracted by the voice of the child shouting for his parents. Standing next to the child with her mouth agog was the child's nanny. The child was a handsome boy of around eight years of age. He seemed to be a bright boy with very intelligent aqua blue eyes, yet he lacked the arrogance of so many sons of the nobility. De la Croix wanted information, and she appeared intelligent so he turned to the woman and asked to speak to her in private. Another servant was found to tend to the boy, who would not move from his mother's side. He was pulled away from her kicking and screaming as the doctor arrived.

When they were alone, he asked her. "The Vicomte employed my services as a bodyguard but never mentioned to me where the danger to him might have come from. He was most concerned about protecting his wife and son. Do you know who might have done this?"

"No Monsieur, the de Chagny's was well loved for the most part. The boy and I were away when it happened, we were in the park down the road from here." She told him.

The man asked her "Who are the next of kin?"

"There are none, Monsieur. The Vicomte was disowned by his family when he married the Vicomtesse. The Vicomte had an inheritance from his mother's family but his father, brother and sisters had nothing to do with him."

"Do you think that they will take the child now?" he asked.

She hesitated "I don't know Monsieur. There were rumors. Always rumors since the boy was born, that he was not really his son. He does not resemble him at all. The Vicomte loved him with all of his heart. He and the boy were inseparable but the Vicomte had a condition which made it impossible for him to father a child. It was discovered several years into their marriage. The condition was congenital. When the Vicomte discovered that he had it, he and the Vicomtesse did not speak for many months. Apparently the boy was fathered by a different man. The Comte was quite aware of the Vicomtes' condition and therefore he knew that the boy was not a true de Chagny. Since the Vicomte acknowledged the boy as his son and heir he will bear the title of Vicomte, and inherit the Vicomte's fortune, just the same. The Vicomte would discharge any servant who would dare question the boy's parentage."

"Does the child know the truth?" de la Croix asked.

"No Monsieur, it might devastate him. He and the Vicomte were very close. I do not know what will become of this child." She added. "He is a sweet boy, very bright, musical like his mother."

"Does anyone know who and where the real father is?"

"The Vicomtesse was very quiet about it. There were rumors that it might be the Phantom of the Opera himself, but the child is so handsome and gentle. He could not have possibly come from a monster such as him. The Vicomtesse must have had another lover." She told him speculatively.

"Well, we must find him." De la Croix exclaimed. "Do you know anything about Madame Giry; the former ballet mistress at the Opera house?"

"She came here once, along with her daughter long ago, but then never again. The Vicomte forbid it after the first time. I think that she is still in Paris. The Vicomtesse would correspond with them, they were her foster family."

The man thanked her and took the items that the Vicomtesse had given to him. By the time that he was finished speaking with the servants the bodies had been removed. He spent the next several days with the Vicomte's attorney. He left a will granting everything to Gustave de Chagny. The document instructed that in the event of both his and Christine's death custody of the child would be given to one Erik Destler, if he could be found. There was a provision that they would prefer the child to be raised in France as befitting his noble heritage, but it was not a necessity. The attorney instructed de la Croix to seek out this Erik Destler. From his earlier research, Pierre knew who the man in question was. It at least partially answered the mystery as to why the Vicomte had changed from hunting the Phantom, to exonerating him. It was clear that the Vicomte believed the Phantom to be the boy's real father.

It took the former gendarme several days to find Madame Giry. She had long retired from the Opera and was living with her daughter who was a Baroness. When de la Croix first questioned her she was very hesitant to tell him anything. She seemed to be protecting someone. Her daughter watched him while he was interviewing her mother. The older woman would reveal nothing, given Pierre's past as the chief investigator in charge of finding the Phantom. It was clear that she would not trust him, no matter what the boy's needs might be. As he was leaving, the Baroness handed him an address which she had neatly written on a scrap of paper.

"Christine was my best friend and I miss her so much. I hope that you can help her little boy, Monsieur but be very careful. The man in question will not be happy to see you. We have not heard from him in many years. He will not have anything to do with any of us here in France any longer. He may kill you before you ever get the chance to speak with him." She warned. "Keep your hands at the level of your eyes."

Pierre remembered hearing the same warning years ago at the Opera House.

He almost refused the assignment to go to find this man, but he remembered the desperation in the mother's eyes and that the poor boy had no one to care for him save the Vicomte's old servants; he still was unaware of who had murdered the de Chagny's. If the man in question truly was the Phantom, he would make a formidable guardian for the child. Those reasons compelled the old inspector to go in search of the man. De la Croix, the child, and his nanny, Simone left France almost immediately and set sail for America. They had been away from France for many months now and had finally neared the end of his long journey. He left the boy and Simone at the hotel while he undertook the last leg of their long journey.

He could make out a distant light through the swirling snow, but just then his horse slipped on some ice and sent him sprawling to the ground. He was unhurt but the horse had broken his leg. He would not be able to carry him back into town. He prayed that the man was not as inhospitable as he was rumored to be or he might just die in the snow. Even if he were to survive, it was likely that he would become a casualty of the Phantom's vaunted Punjab lasso. The former opera ghost knew, that in the past, de la Croix had hunted for him mercilessly had almost captured him. That was long ago but most likely the man would find him to be a threat. Pierre was not sure what would be a worse fate to freeze to death in the snow or be the next victim of the Phantom's murderous rage. In the dying light of the day he could hear a distant wolf cry, and a coyote howl as well in response. "_No doubt they are arguing over which one of them might enjoy me as their next meal."_ He thought to himself darkly. _"It might still be better than meeting with the Opera Ghost."_ It was too late to turn back, but the former inspector was regretting his decision not to bring someone with him just in case. He had hidden the boy and his nanny from the night of the incident until this time. He did not want the murderers to find the boy. He prayed to God that the opera ghost would prove receptive and give him the chance to explain everything too him before he struck.


	2. Chapter 2

I am glad to see that many of my fans from the other stories have made it to this one. Welcome back and also welcome to any new readers. This is a slightly different work than the last ones. Perhaps even darker than 'Tears'. As you can see it has more influences from Love Never Dies although it does not take place in New York, but in the Old West. I do not try to make this Erik as innocent of his crimes in Paris either but he will explain them.

Chapter 2

Pierre walked the remaining distance to the mansion covered in ice and snow. He was dripping and felt as if he could not take another step. He could no longer feel anything but a chill, he felt as if even his blood had frozen, yet still he wondered if going forward was the right idea. He was really dreading the next few moments and contemplated turning back. Even without the poor weather and the remoteness of the house, he could not get the fear out of his mind that the Phantom would kill him. He reluctantly knocked at the door. He stood there for a while wondering if anyone would answer. He could hear a fierce bark from a dog but no other sign of life. An eternity seemed to pass. He thought to himself "Great I came all of this way and no one is even here." But just when he thought that he was in real danger of freezing to death on the stoop, the door opened.

An olive skinned man in Persian robes answered, and looked at him in surprise. He asked him in English "What are you doing here? We do not receive visitors."

Pierre replied "My name is Pierre de la Croix, formerly a Capitaine with the gendarmerie de Paris, but I am currently in the employ of the Vicomte de Chagny. I am looking for a Monsieur Erik Destler, a former resident of Paris France."

The man looked at him strangely and but replied fluently in accented French "I know of no man by that name. I am sorry Monsieur but you have come all this way for nothing. Only my employer, his associate and I are here. Not this man that you speak of."

"Who is your employer?" He asked.

"Monsieur Nadir Khan" the man replied keeping his information at a minimum.

"I recognize that name from Paris as well. Perhaps then, your master could help me. It is urgent that I find this Monsieur Destler right away. I know that he and Monsieur Destler were acquainted. Please I do not want to have come all of this way for nothing. I have come a long way and the weather is inclement. My mission is to bring some items to Monsieur Destler and to discuss some important matters with him, not to harm him or anyone associated with him. "

The man gave him a curious look and glanced behind him to see the swirling snow.

"You have no transport back to town?"

"No, Monsieur my horse did not make it. He broke his leg on the ice and I had to put him down." De la Croix replied.

"A pity." The servant observed. "You will need our help in returning to Madison then?" he mumbled.

"I would be most grateful for any assistance that you might render, but first I would like to speak to Monsieur Khan. Is that possible?"

The servant nodded his assent. "I will show you in, and then inquire whether or not he is available. You claim that this is in regard to a matter regarding the Vicomte de Chagny and this Monsieur Destler? He will wonder why you would come all this way to see him."

"As I told you, I came to find Monsieur Destler. If he knew the nature of my business he would want to see me. I have no doubt of it. The information that I carry is of paramount importance to him." Pierre repeated. He had a strange feeling that someone was listening, but could see no one doing so. On the surface the exchange was just between him and the servant, but he couldn't shake his feeling.

"Very well then, you may follow me." He led Pierre into the drawing room, the furniture in there looked barely used and there were no calling cards there. It was clear that this mansion received few, if any, visitors. Pierre remained alone in the room for quite a long time. It was chilly in there and he was shivering in his wet clothes. It was clear that they had no intention of making him feel welcome. He could hear voices speaking in a foreign tongue outside the door but could not understand any of it. They appeared to be arguing. He could make out three separate voices. He supposed that it was the native tongue of the man who answered the door. Some eastern tongue such as Arabic or Persian. Finally the door opened, and a second olive skinned man came in. He was more authoritative in countenance. He gave Pierre a speculative glance with suspicious jade eyes and told him.

"Inspecteur de la Croix. I am Nadir Khan, formerly Daroga of Mazenderan in Persia. I remember you from the incident at the Opera Populaire. You were the leader of the group of gendarmes who were attempting to apprehend the Phantom of the Opera that night. As I recall you did not meet with much success. Sloppy work I might add. Your quarry got away. You wasted much time in questioning me so thoroughly. I believe that the Vicomte de Chagny insisted that I had some sort of relationship with the Phantom. It was a shame for you, that you could find no link between us. But that is ancient history; to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?"

"I was informed by the Baroness de Castelot-Barbezac that I might find the former Opera Ghost, Erik Destler here. I am no longer in the employ of the Paris gendarmerie; it is no longer my job to pursue him for his crimes. I am here on behalf of my employer, the Vicomte de Chagny on a legal matter of grave importance." Pierre told him.

"What business would the Vicomte have with Monsieur Destler that would bring you so far Monsieur?" The Persian asked suspiciously. "The two men were enemies, why would he seek Monsieur Destler out after so many years? Surely there could not be any urgent matter of business between them?"

"It is a private matter for me to discuss with the gentleman in question." He answered impatiently. "Look, Monsieur, do not play games with me. I was told by the townspeople that there is a gentleman who resides here who is rumored to be disfigured just as Monsieur Destler was. For your information, my late employer used his influence several years ago to have all charges against the Phantom of the Opera dismissed. I have brought a copy of L'Epoch from that time to show to the gentleman in question to prove my claim. Monsieur Destler is free to lead a parade down the Champs De Elysee on Bastille Day in front of half of Paris if it were to please him and no one would bother him, most definitely not me. You are a known confederate of the Gentleman and I must find him. The Baroness gave me your direction and told me that he was here."

The Persian replied tentatively "Did she? Yet I do not believe that the lady in question has ever been to this house how she could be so sure of this man's presence. Can you at least give me some idea of your mission? If I had any information about the gentleman in question to share with you, you must at least tell why you have come so far to find him. As I recall, the last time that we met you were seeking information from me for you to use to assist in his apprehension. Even if I had some sort of relationship with this man, as you have always claimed why would I expose him to danger now without knowing anything about your purpose for visiting when I did not do so when you were acting under the authority of law?"

He pulled out the ring that the Vicomtesse had given him and held it out to the Persian "I was sent on the behest of Christine Daae, she gave me this to return to Monsieur Destler, along with a letter from her to him."

Just then a tall man garbed completely in black robes appeared out of nowhere startling the former inspector. A hood obscured his face. He spoke with a rich baritone voice; A voice that de la Croix remembered from that long ago night. He could never forget it, as it was the most pleasing men's voice that he had ever heard either before, or since.

He looked over to the Persian and told him "It is alright Nadir, I will handle this matter myself. The man has clearly come a long way to see me, and he is clearly alone and at our mercy. You have my full attention Monsieur le Inspecteur. I am Erik Destler, the man that you have been seeking. How may I be of assistance?" the haunting voice asked.

The inspector looked over at the Persian and then to the robed man. "This is a private matter Monsieur. I am not sure that you want Monsieur Khan to hear as some of it is of an intimate nature."

The man laughed "Monsieur, I assure you that the Daroga knows everything about me, even those matters of the most' intimate nature' as you would say."

"Does he know everything about the nature of the relationship between you and the former Mademoiselle Daae, particularly about the events which took place following the night that you burnt the Palais Garnier down?" The man insisted.

"He knows everything Monsieur. He may stay and listen." He looked at Pierre. "We generally do not accept callers here. Please state your business and leave." He added.

Pierre was taken aback by the man's brusque tone, but at the same time was pleased that he did not appear to be threatening in any way. It helped him to relax a little ."Have it your way, Monsieur." He told the robed man. "First, I regret to inform you that both Vicomte Raoul de Chagny and his wife Christine have met with foul play. They are both dead."

The robed man snapped to attention and strode over to the former inspector and grabbed his lapels, searching his eyes for any signs of deception "What?, Christine dead? You lie! It cannot be! Why?"

"I am afraid that it is the truth. I was the last man to speak with the Vicomtesse prior to her death. That is when she implored me to find you. She told me that you would help me."

Erik blindly reached for his neck and grabbed it, closing his fingers around it. "Why is she dead? You have yet to answer, and if you were there why did you not prevent it?" he accused. "She was so young. She was not yet thirty."

The Persian looked at his friend "I am so sorry Erik but let go of Monsieur de la Croix. He has come a long way to bring you this news, and the items that were entrusted to him. This is not a way to either bring her back, or repay him for his trouble in coming here."

Erik let go and retreated slightly he turned to his friend and told him mournfully "I should never have let her go back to him; back to that fop."

Pierre regained his voice and replied "It came out of the blue. The Vicomte never mentioned that he had enemies who would do such a thing. They were a very well loved couple, with the exception of the Vicomte's own family, but they would never go after their own that way."

The robed man chided him contemptuously "Well obviously either they did or they were not as 'well loved' as you declared them to be."

"The only other enemy that I could think of is you." Pierre spat, still rubbing his neck where the Phantom had squeezed it. "You had the motive and clearly despised the Vicomte."

"I did, but I would never harm either Christine or the Vicomte, out of respect for her happiness. I have not stepped foot in France for many years. My Persian friend here can vouch for the fact that I have not left my home here for a long time. I have no use for humanity and see no reason to surround myself with such." He spat contemptuously. "Which brings me to the issue at hand; what are you doing here? You did not come all the way from Paris to give me news of my lost love's death; or to accuse me of doing it, so why are you here?"

"I have come on behalf of the Vicomte de Chagny, the current one, Vicomte Gustave de Chagny. He is seven years old and an orphan, without any close relatives who will take care of him. I have come to appeal to you on behalf of him, to return to France and take care of him as his guardian. He has no one monsieur." The former police inspector emphasized.

"What about the Vicomte's family surely they could take care of him? Who is watching the boy now?" The robed man replied. "Why would the Vicomte choose me, his worst enemy as a guardian for his heir? Surely I would be the last man on earth that he would find suitable to entrust his heir to."

"The Comte de Chagny disowned the late Vicomte and his issue; they have no interest in the child. The late Vicomte named you in his will, as the boy's guardian, should something befall both him and his wife." Pierre explained.

"You have not yet explained why." The Phantom questioned him. "Why would he name me to take care of his heir? The whole idea is ridiculous."

Pierre continued. "It is the reason for my visit. Let me explain the whole matter to you so that you might understand. The Vicomte originally pressured me to ascertain where you were so that you could be extradited, and returned to France for punishment. At the time I was considered to be the leading expert on the infamous Phantom of the Opera. As you well know, I was in charge of apprehending you. At first, the late Vicomte was very upset that we had not found you. Several years ago he changed course completely and used his resources to both clear your name and to obtain a pardon for your crimes if necessary. He enticed me to leave the Gendarmerie and focus on this task. At the time I found such a complete change of attitude to be, at the least, bizarre; but he offered me more than I could make in ten years on the force; so I accepted his money and resigned. I closed your case prior to leaving and publically declared that the evidence of both your existence, and your crimes, to be flimsy and that, even if you did exist, we believed you to be dead. We produced a burnt mask and a statement by the Vicomte to confirm it. We attributed your Opera to a publicity stunt on behalf of the Opera Populaire, which unfortunately went out of control. The Vicomte was able to persuade the managers of the theatre, and even the players, to go along with the deception. In the meantime, we were also able to obtain a full pardon for one Erik Destler for all past crimes committed in France."

The robed man was stunned "Why would the Vicomte go to so much trouble to both obtain a pardon and clear my name? He was right to fear me. At the time, I was quite insane. I have since regained my faculties, but it does not excuse what I did back there. My crimes were real and were horrendous. When I think back upon that time, I shudder to think of many of my own actions."

"At the time I did not question him and he made no attempt to explain it to me. After his death, I did find out what I believe to be the reason. You see, the late Vicomte was found to be incapable of fathering a child. He discovered this several years into his marriage to the Vicomtesse. She must have admitted to him the true parentage of the child. The boy is biologically your son, Monsieur."

"It cannot be. It is impossible." The robed man declared.

"Do you deny that you had an intimate relationship with the Vicomtesse then? Did she lie about the parentage?" the inspector asked.

"No, she did not lie, but it was only for one week long ago..." He turned his head away clearly affected. After a time, he looked back and asked. "How old is the child? Have you seen this child? Is he normal?"

"He is seven years old and a very handsome lad. He favors his mother quite a bit. I could not say if he favors you much since you always kept yourself hidden, even then. I have heard only rumors of how you look." Pierre told him.

"That is not true Monsieur and we both know it!" Erik exclaimed bitterly "She removed my mask in front of all of Paris. You would have seen it then."

The inspector nodded "Yes, but only from the rafters and I did not get a good view, at least not enough to tell if you resemble the lad. I know that the reports that you had no hair, parchment skin and lack a nose are also wrong. You could not sound as you do without a nose."

"I do have a nose, and normal skin, except where my deformity lies, but not a lot of hair, sort of like you. He added with a smirk "All the same, you would not want to see my face. If the boy is handsome, then he most certainly does not resemble me." The robed man told me. "Even so, why would the Vicomte ask that I become the guardian of this child? He knows nothing about me, only that I am an insane murderer, hardly a role model for a young boy. The boy would be better off being reared by anyone but me; if he has no one, how about you? I would gladly give you a good sum to use on his behalf if the Vicomte has left him with nothing."

"The boy has a decent fortune. The Vicomte's family would have nothing to do with him, but he did have money in his own right. The Vicomte was a sound businessman and parlayed his holdings into a small fortune over the past few years. He invested heavily in new technologies such as the telephone, and electricity."

"Who would have expected that de Chagny would be so intelligent?" The robed man mused.

He turned back to the inspector "Well then you can see, with that sort of estate, the boy would not lack for a willing father figure. I do not know why the Vicomte would even consider a creature such as me as a suitable guardian, even if biologically I am the father. You of all people should know why I cannot possibly take care of the boy."

The Persian looked at him and then the inspector "I disagree Erik. I believe that, under the circumstances, the Vicomte made a very wise choice." He turned to the inspector "Erik has always underestimated his own capacity for good. He is not the person that he just described himself to be, not in the least bit. He would make a fine father, and the boy would be good for Erik as well. My friend here has spent a lifetime searching for one thing only, and that is love. The late Vicomtesse drove him into despair, when she would not return his love and in his anger and sorrow, he did regrettable things. I protected him from you and helped him to start over because I knew that he was a man capable of doing a great amount of good, if given the chance by society. He did not deserve to be put down like a rabid dog which is what you would have done if you had caught him."

"I cannot deny that I would have done so." The inspector admitted "He was guilty of some unforgivable acts, but I was aware of his sorry history, and was not entirely unsympathetic to him." He looked at Erik "I was born into a very poor family and knew what it was like to feel the wrath of society. I spent my childhood on the streets begging for food and most people would look away from me. My mother died on those same streets. I only survived because I was rescued by a police officer who showed me a better life. I could imagine the pain that you went through was pretty severe. I became a police officer due to my rescuer. He saw the potential in me and adopted me as his son. The boy is in Madison with his nanny. I would think that you would like to meet him, at the least."

The robed man turned away "What is the point? I could not offer this child anything but perhaps my love, even that is of dubious worth. Everyone that I have ever loved, or tried to love, has ended up dead. I have not left this house in many years, monsieur, not because I lack the ability to do so, but I lack the desire to return to the world. I have nothing to give to a child that would be of any value. You have wasted a great deal of time and expense searching for me. I am sorry for the inconvenience. Nadir ask Darius to take Inspecteur de la Croix back into the town. He can stay at the hotel that I own free of charge. My apologies, Monsieur." he turned to leave.

"Wait." Pierre told Erik as he started to leave. "She gave me these items for you. They were her last wishes. It is well known that you once loved her monsieur, would you do her the discourtesy of ignoring her last wishes."

Pierre held out the ring and the letter that he had brought with him from Paris. The Phantom glanced at the items. A pale hand reached out of the robe and took the items almost caressing them as if they were precious. He turned to the Persian and in a very sad voice he said "Nadir, you may let the inspecteur spend the night here. I could never deny Christine anything that she asked of me in life. Could I do the same now that she is gone?"

"Read the letter Erik. Perhaps she will give you a clue as to what she wanted from you or at least some closure." The Persian replied.

Darius came and showed the Frenchman to his room. He told him "Dinner will be served in an hour. You may dine with my master. Master Erik seldom chooses to dine with anyone. He cannot eat very well with his mask on, and he will not remove his mask in front of anyone but my employer and me. He has become even more of a hermit than he was in those days. He refuses to have anything to do with anyone other than us. He says that such a thing would only lead to more pain and suffering for both he and any poor soul unfortunate enough to spend any time with him."

"It sounds like a living form of death. How does he survive in such an environment?"

Pierre asked the servant.

"He claims that he was meant to be alone, and unloved. When my master tried to coax him to come back out into the world, he told him that he will never do so again. You should understand, Monsieur, he is not a bad person at all, not really when you drop your fear of him based on how he looks. He is a good man who has been made to do bad things because of how the world has treated him." He paused for a moment and continued "Even I once feared him because of his looks and for what he had done, but not anymore. Perhaps you would tell me that a man who has murdered cannot be a good man. He would be the first to agree with you. But monsieur if you had a wounded dog and someone tried to hurt him further would the dog be at fault for biting the intruder or would the intruder be wrong for taunting the dog? You say that you have sympathy for him, but if you saw him without his mask, you would likely behave like almost everyone else has and have nothing more to do with him. He would not let a child into his life for that very reason. The boy would be afraid of him, and break his heart once again. He fears that he would lash out again like a wounded dog just like he did back in Paris. The sad thing monsieur is that he is a very passionate and giving man and he would have done so much for the world if the world would have accepted him. It is a tragedy monsieur."

"If what you say is true then I will be doubly sorry that he cannot accept his own son. The boy is a very gifted child but he is in need of love and protection. I have not been able to ascertain why the de Chagny's were killed, but the boy might still be in danger from whoever might have done so. "Monsieur Destler would be a finer protector than hired guards." Pierre told Darius.

"He would be." Darius agreed "He was once a trained assassin, back in Persia. He was the most talented of all the Shah's agents. He was known as the Angel of Death there."

Pierre shuddered "I did not know that about him. Perhaps he is right; he may not be the one to take care of the boy."

The manservant replied "He would be the perfect guardian if the boy would accept him. My master was right when he told you so. They would be good for one another. He would give the boy love and protection and the boy might give him the love that he has spent his entire life looking for. He has only withdrawn from the world because of his experience in Paris and before."

The man that they were discussing retreated into his private sanctuary. He allowed no one, not even Nadir entry into this domain without his express permission. He considered it to be both his home and his prison. On the surface he was surrounded by objects of beauty, but in his soul he was empty and barren. There was no object that could induce the Phantom out of his shell of inner despair and torment. He was still wedded to the nightmares of his past, and of the crimes that he had committed. Nadir had spent many years trying to get Erik to forgive himself but to no avail. The tormented man removed his robe and his mask revealing his elegantly clad form from within. He was wracked with grief and anger at his loss. How could the boy not protect her when he had relinquished his hold upon her so that she could have a life in the light; not in the darkness with him? He held the ring that he had once given to her to remind her of him, and his love for her. He had left it beside her on the nightstand as she slept along with a note explaining why he had left her. He did not know that he had left her with a child. Would she be alive today if he had stayed? Would he have stayed if he had known about the child? The irony was that the man who was in his house was the very man who had made him flee. He had been hot on his trail and Erik did not want Christine to spend her life in the dark, hiding from this very man. Possibly risking her own life. His previous sacrifice, years ago, had been in vain.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The man, once known as the Phantom of the Opera, looked at the ring and the letter and his memory transported him to the time that he last saw his Christine. They had one week of pure bliss before fate had cut it short. It had been the only happy time that he had known in what had been a sorry and tragic life.

February 16, 1881 Paris, France

_The Opera House lay in ruins, but the man who destroyed it had escaped justice. It was a very narrow escape orchestrated by his old friend Antoinette Giry. He had appeared in the night at her flat that she shared with her daughter. He had been shot while escaping the mob and was losing blood. Antoinette opened the door to him and could see that Erik was hurt. Although she was angry at him for all that he had done, she did not turn him away. She let him in, closing the door quickly behind him. With Nadir away, hers was the only door in Paris that he knew would be open to him, even if she had betrayed him to the Vicomte the night before. She chastised him while attending to his wounds. _

"_You were a fool Erik, you are lucky that the wound is only a flesh wound, it will heal quickly but your heart not so much."_

"_My heart will never heal, Antoinette." Erik told her bitterly._

_She looked at him with both anger and concern etching her brow "Erik, why did you to have kidnap the girl. You set the mob upon yourself and destroyed everything in your life. Why did you just not leave them be? Why did you have to kill Buquet and Piangi, and ruin so many lives? Was it worth it? She loved another not you. Why couldn't you accept that?"_

_He looked at his old friend in misery. "You are right Antoinette you always were. In my madness I thought that I could make Christine care for me. But look at me, I am hideous, the ugliest man that ever lived. I would kill myself but it would only serve to end my suffering, and I need to suffer for all the bad things that I have done. I deserve my fate to be alone and unloved."_

_She looked at him with pity overwhelming her anger, and took him into her arms and held him tight. "No Erik, you do not deserve to be alone and unloved, nobody does. You have just used your talents in the wrong way. You should go on and use your genius to create something better. Go far away from here, away from Christine, the opera house everything. Start a new life overseas in America or Tahiti just somewhere different, far away from here. Farther still from her and the Vicomte."_

_He looked back at his old friend dejectedly "What's the point? I tried to do that before in Russia, Persia and Turkey but my face makes the journey with me and it is the same everywhere. Hatred and fear, it is all that I receive, all that I know." He turned away from her sobbing in self-pity._

"_That is not true Erik I care about you, and your Persian friend cares as well. Even Christine does care for you in her own way. It was your own actions that drove her away. What made you believe that killing Buquet and Piangi would endear you to her? Or threatening and extorting money from people? You never used your head; how could you have expected her to turn to you when you did such terrible things?"_

"_I don't know what I was thinking Antoinette? I thought that I needed to make grandiose gestures to show her the extent of my love for her. I wanted to hear her sing. My God, I lost my mind and I ruined everything." He admitted shamefully._

"_Her career would have progressed regardless. The managers and audience were all enthralled by her performance. You needed only to be patient as I told you at the time." She told him._

"_But she saw my face and rejected me, and then fell in love with the Vicomte. She shunned me just like everyone else." The masked man told her. "I felt desperate to get her to notice me. I was so lonely and betrayed that I could think of little else but how to get her back." _

"_Well what you did was both wrong and horrible and did the opposite. Now she is gone forever." She told him._

_Erik looked at her woefully "I know. It is my punishment. You know before I set her, and her boy free, she did give me two kisses; the only kisses that anyone has ever given me. For a moment I thought that she might stay after all, but then she left with the boy. I watched them go off together she was clinging to him."_

"_I tried to tell you that love is a difficult emotion to control. It cannot be forced upon someone. It has to be given freely by the person. You did not listen, and now you have failed. You are a fugitive on the run for your life, and so many people are out of work because of you, and then there is Buquet and Piangi who you killed. You have nothing to show for it."_

_Erik nodded in agreement "I know Antoinette but I couldn't help myself and I really thought that Christine was going to be different that she would accept me for who I was. She had known me for so long."_

"_But you deceived her by pretending to be an angel, and then you expected her to forget about that and just step forth to claim your love. She didn't feel that she ever knew you, only that you were a liar." She chided._

"_I know." Erik sobbed. Antoinette tightened her arms around him once more in comfort. Antoinette had never tried to comfort him in that way before, 'perhaps I should have' she thought to herself. 'Maybe he would have felt different than he did. Less alone and unloved' She thought guiltily. She wanted to make amends even if she were angry at him. She bore some responsibility for his actions by not supporting him as she should have. She let him grow more distant from her, more isolated because she had grown tired of arguing with him. _

_She wanted to help Erik escape despite everything that had passed between them she knew that underneath the surface he was a good man, just misunderstood. She was not even sure that he understood himself "They may look for you here. Sooner or later someone will remember that I was your intermediary with the world. I know of a place just outside of the city where you can hide safely. We can sneak you out of Paris tomorrow evening. It is the house where I grew up. It is empty and belongs to me now. It is twenty miles outside of town, near the road to Calais. You can stay there until the search for you dies down and then flee through Calais."_

_The next evening Antoinette smuggled him out of Paris. He was dressed as an old man. He removed his dark wig and wore a gray one. He obscured his face in an old straw hat. Between the two disguises he looked different enough to get away. No one questioned them. They looked like a farmer and his wife returning home from Paris._

_For two months he remained there alone with an occasional visit by Antoinette to both give him news and bring fresh supplies. She told him that Christine and the Vicomte had set a wedding date, and all seemed well with Christine. Yet despite this news, one day, not long before her wedding date Christine appeared instead of Antoinette Giry. He could see her flaxen locks as she ascended from her mount. He was shocked to see her. He did not expect to see her again._

_He greeted her with concern "What are you doing here Christine? You should be with your Vicomte. How did you find me?" _

"_I had to see you ange. Antoinette would not tell me where you were, but finally I got Meg to tell me. I am to be married in a week and a half but I wanted to see you first to apologize for everything. I needed to tell you that I still care about you, ange, despite everything I do. I miss you and our time that we shared together. We were friends for a long time before everything went so wrong between us. I have not forgotten you nor will I ever do so."_

_The Phantom looked at the figure of his beloved and replied softly. "You don't have to worry about me or say that you are sorry. It is I who should be apologizing to you. I wanted your love so badly that I became obsessed with obtaining it. I have spent little time in the world for such a long time. I did not really know how to make you care for me. I could not compete with the handsome Vicomte for your love, not with this face."_

_She looked at him sadly "Why didn't you just come to me and tell me how you felt? I used to tell you everything about me and you told me nothing about yourself. Not until that last day, when it was too late. I did not know what sort of life that you had lead. You didn't trust me with the truth. Perhaps if you had told me about your face, and showed it to me yourself, I might not have been so shocked when I saw it for the first time."_

"_No ange I did not trust you. I could not dare to hope that you would overlook it. Everyone who has seen my face has been repulsed by it. Why would I have expected you to be different? How could I reveal myself when I knew that you would most likely turn from me? When I finally did find the courage to do so, you did exactly as I expected and turned to the Vicomte." He added bitterly. "He is everything that I am not." He added._

"_You could have prepared me ahead of time by explaining your deformity to me. I was shocked by what I saw, not repulsed. I did not turn away from you because of your face, only your temper. You pushed me so hard and scared me. I had never seen that side of you before. Then you started making frightening demands on everyone and you killed Buquet" She added. "I thought that you would hunt me down and prey upon me and kill anyone who would get in your way."_

"_I wanted only to get you the recognition that you deserved. I killed Buquet, for both eyeing the girls, and making up stories about me. I told Antoinette to warn him, to tell him that one day he might go too far and that my patience towards him was at an end. After that he was worse, not better, his stories about me grew more gruesome and accusatory. He claimed that I would prey upon the girls and force them to lay with me. That was a lie, and it enraged me even more when I heard the ballet rats repeating them to everyone. Because of him, people thought of me as a depraved monster. I am hideous but I am also a gentleman. I would never have stooped so low as to force myself upon someone like that. He brought shame upon my honor. If he had spoken of your boy in that way, the Vicomte would have done the same as me and killed him. Am I to behave differently because I am unsightly? Even then I tried to ignore him but he continued to stalk me, and wouldn't leave me alone and so I had to dispose of him. He was getting more and more aggressive against me. It was either his life or mine, and so I defended myself. I have little excuse about Piangi other than the fact that I needed to get him out of the way to get to you. By then I was not thinking clearly. You had grown to fear and despise me when I only wanted your love." Erik looked at Christine pleading for understanding._

"_That is why I cannot be with you Erik, if someone gets in your way you kill them. But if you were different, I would have done as you asked and succumbed to you. I told you before that while my mind beats against you, my soul obeys. When I kissed you I felt something different than I ever have before. I have tried to feel the same with Raoul but it is not there." She admitted to him. "There is some bond that connects us that overpowers everything else, a unity of spirit, beyond the bounds of time and distance. You must feel it as well I know that you do."_

"_I do Christine. Every waking hour of my life I can feel it. I have tried to sever it for your sake but I cannot do so. I don't want to do so. What if I were to change, and promise you that I would never kill anyone again unless I am threatened could you pardon me for my previous actions? Would you?" he pleaded._

"_I don't know. Raoul and I are to be married next week. A part of me loves him as well as you." she admitted. "Not in the same way or with the same intensity but it is there nonetheless."_

_He reached for her and pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. "Can he make you burn inside as I do? I can feel the fires of our passion erupting every time your lips touch mine. Christine we are soul mates we belong together eternally. The boy may be handsome and wealthy, but he cannot give you music, or lift your spirit as I do. Free your mind from its earthy tethers and fly with me. Be my guide out of darkness into the light."_

_She could not deny the pull that he had anymore then she could deny her own feelings. At that moment she realized that his face no longer mattered, his murders, all that she had been afraid of suddenly deserted her. She was left with a strange sense of peace as she realized that all of her struggles against him were in vain. They needed one another. Neither one of them could restrain their desires any longer; the dam of pent up emotions and yearning burst in both of them, overcoming all impediments, real and imagined, to their mutual love. Soon he took her with a sweet passion that she did not know could exist. She knew then, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she loved this man, and vowed to remain with him wherever he went, no matter what the dangers. _

_For a week they let their mutual passion for one another exist with no constraints. The world around them no longer mattered. Nothing mattered, to either of them, but each other. They would take walks in the dusk and speak of their hopes and dreams. They shared everything, every dark secret that they had hidden from one another; every unfounded fear that existed between them. All the walls between fell down and crumbled to dust. They were replaced by complete love, understanding and unity of thought and desire. Erik knew that if he died right then that none of the crimes that he had ever committed, all of the evil that had even been done to him had been washed away in the healing balm of their love. For the first time in his life, he had hope for their future. Christine vowed that she would seek out Raoul and end their engagement, and she would go with Erik._

_Then on the seventh morning of their time together Antoinette Giry appeared, and told them. _

"_The Vicomte is worried about Christine and believes that she has been kidnapped once again. Several people recognized you from the photo that he has distributed so de la Croix knows that you are somewhere in the area. He is conducting house to house searches for you. It is only a matter of time until he finds you Erik." _

_Christine looked at Erik in concern "What are we going to do? They cannot find you."_

_Antoinette told him "Nadir is back from Persia. He and I booked passage to America for you. I bribed a stevedore to smuggle you on board in a coffin. Once the ship has left French waters he will come and get you and show you to your stateroom."_

"_I will come with you and we can start over." Christine told him._

_Antoinette looked at her in disapproval "He will still be a wanted man Christine, and he will have nothing when you get there. I spent all that he had, just to bribe the right people to get you to safety." She turned to Erik "It is no place for a young woman like her. You know this Erik. You will be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life wondering whether or not you will be captured. Even if you are not found, you will face the same treatment that you have always faced. Is it fair to her my friend?"_

"_No we love one another and I will endure what I must to be with him. You will not leave me Erik. You cannot." Christine insisted. _

_Erik looked at Antoinette and explained "Christine came to me of her own free will. We love one another and wish to get married and start over together in a new country; where we can live as a normal couple."_

_She looked at Christine "Is this what you want?"_

_She replied "Yes of course."_

"_Yet a few days ago, you tried to help the Vicomte and the gendarmes capture him. You unmasked him in front of all of Paris. You spent the last year trying to escape him and suddenly you forget about all of this." She asked coldly. "Can you honestly say that know your own mind child?"_

"_I did not know my own heart." Christine replied defensively._

"_Do you know it now? How do you know that you won't change your mind again? Erik is a hard man to live with. You know about his temper my dear." Antoinette told her gently._

_Erik interrupted "Yes Madame, but she has chosen me despite my temper and my abhorrent face. Certainly you can see the love that she bears for me. It is written in her eyes. I would become as gentle as a lamb if she were to stay with me." _

_Antoinette interrupted "Yes, Erik I can see that she believes that she loves you, at least for now, but her face looked the same when she was with the Vicomte." _

_She turned to Erik and continued "A man will come to you in the morning dressed as an undertaker. He will bring the coffin with him and take you to Calais."_

_She smiled at Christine "If you want to go on the ship you can meet him in Calais, in the cabin, but he will go in the coffin alone." _

"_Of course I want to meet him." She told her._

_She looked back at Christine "I would like to speak with Erik alone for a moment."_

"_He has nothing to hide from me." Christine replied._

_She smiled at her enigmatically "Perhaps I have something to hide from you my dear."_

_Erik motioned to her "It will only be for a moment Christine. We have a lifetime to spend together."_

_She left reluctantly. When she was gone Antoinette asked him bluntly "Have you had sexual relations with Christine?"_

"_Yes, I didn't mean to but we sort of fell into it."_

_She hissed angrily "How could you have done that to her? Did you want to ruin her reputation? She is engaged to be married next week. I told the Vicomte that Christine went away to my cousins to rest and to think. Do you think that it is wise to take her with you?"_

"_Under the circumstances do I have any choice? We have already engaged in relations. As you said I have spoiled her." Erik told his old friend._

"_You always did think of yourself first." She hissed angrily "Did you once worry about her future? You claim to love her but if she goes with you she will have nothing. You stand out wherever you go, you have said so yourself. Even in America there might be people who have heard of the Phantom that haunted the Opera House in Paris and kidnapped the Prima Donna. She could never sing again for fear that you will be found. Is that the life that she deserves? You let her go once that night you can do it again. Think of her for once and not yourself."_

"_I can give her music and my love. I would give her all that I own." He challenged. "Isn't that enough or am I too hideous to be with someone like her?"_

_Antoinette replied strongly "It is not that Erik, but you know that the gendarmes are close behind me. Do you want her to watch you die on the guillotine if you are captured? I have spent everything that you gave me to make these arrangements, you will have nothing. You are too old for her; too broken, wanted by the police and yes Erik you are hideous. Your face never bothered me but you know how you have been treated. Do you really want Christine to be put into danger by someone who will treat you as you have always been treated? In the best of circumstances you could be forced to kill again to defend her or yourself. In the worst they could harm you or her. You are better off alone Erik, you know that. Until you met Christine you understood that. You told me that yourself a long time ago. What has changed?"_

_Every word that she spoke struck him like a bullet destroying his resolve to keep Christine with him. He had lived with nothing but pain and intolerance in the past. He had deceived himself into believing that he could keep her. The reality was that he had no right to do so. He had let her go that night in the lair because he knew that to keep her would be too dangerous. He had barely escaped one mob but who was to say that he would have the same luck next time. De la Croix was right behind him. He loved her too much to have her life put into jeopardy for his own selfish desires. He would have to do the right thing and give her back to the Vicomte while he still could. At that moment all hope of a brighter future died inside of him. He knew that he would spend the rest of his life, as it had always been, alone. He contemplated turning himself in, but still would not do so. Perhaps, he did not want Christine to bear any guilt or grief for his death. _

"_You are right." He told her sadly. "It will break my heart yet again to leave her but I will do it for her. I will make the ultimate sacrifice. In time she will remember that she loves the Vicomte as well and she will have a better life, a safer one. Everything that I touch crumbles into dusk. She would as well. I cannot do that to her I love her too much. I was meant to be alone, and unloved, it is my curse for all the bad that I have done. My penitence for Piangi's death and my victims in Persia."_

"_No Erik, you are a good man at heart. Never forget that. You must leave after she goes to bed. Take my horse and go. There is a man who will be waiting for you outside of Calais at this address." She handed him a note. "He will get you out of France to America. Your Persian friend Nadir and his servant will be there waiting, and they will help you escape. From this point forward I think it best that we have nothing more to do with one another. Meg has already told Christine where you are once and she might find out yet again. It will be unsafe for us to stay in touch." She gave him a hug, and tears rolled down her normally stoic face. "But I will need to know that you are safe. Have Nadir send me your address when you are settled there, in case something changes. I think of you as my son Erik, God bless you."_

_They wept together. "Take care of Christine for me please. Make sure that the Vicomte takes good care of her and keeps her safe. Promise me. Tell her that I did this for her. Our love was doomed to fail because all that I have done. If I had not killed then maybe I could have stayed in France and thought of a way, but there is no time left for us. There never was. This week has been the only happy time in my life Antoinette."_

"_Perhaps you will find love in America Erik. It is a big country much larger than France. When you get there go west far from New York, farther still from France. Perhaps you will find a place for you there." She told him._

_Erik looked at her sadly "I will never have a place anywhere, Antoinette. It is my curse, especially without Christine and her love."_

"_I will pray that you do Erik, someday maybe you will._" _She replied softly_.

The former Phantom left Christine with the ring and a simple note telling her that he was sorry. Antoinette spent the night with them and picked up the pieces of Christine's shattered heart. She tried to get Antoinette to reveal where Erik had gone but Antoinette was firm in her resolve not to say anything. Later in the same morning Inspecteur de la Croix arrived. He had only missed Erik by a few hours. Antoinette had made him think that Christine had been staying with her the whole time. Eventually he ended his search and returned to Paris. Several days later Christine returned to Raoul, never telling him about the week that she spent with the Phantom, where she had realized her love for him. She never forgave Antoinette for talking Erik into leaving without her, and they drifted apart. Christine had no choice but to marry Raoul and a short time later she found out that she was pregnant.

Eight months after their marriage, Gustave Charles de Chagny was born. Christine never told Raoul that his middle name was that of Erik's father. She knew from the moment that she laid eyes on him who his real father was. He had the same intelligent probing blue eyes and elegant hands. He was going to be tall and lanky like his father as well. She could see Erik in the boy and it comforted her even as she lived in regret of the past. If she had accepted Erik when she had removed his mask before he had killed Buquet and set the world upon him, her life would have been completely different. They could have stayed together and shared their music with the world openly, but neither she nor Erik ever sang publically, and Erik never played the piano again. They couldn't do so without being reminded of the other.

Now years later Erik just stared at Christine's note and the ring that he had left for her so long before. He held the letter to his nose he could still smell traces of the lavender scent that she was so fond of. Many thoughts worked their way through his mind all at once, like a roaring whitewater river. _Why did I not feel it when you died Christine? You and I once had a strange connection and yet I still feel nothing. I am sorry that I left you with him. I thought that you would be safer there. _He opened the letter and a tintype photograph fell out. It was a photograph of Christine and a young child. She looked as beautiful as he remembered, and the boy had her look about her as well but was tall and looked like him as well, at least how he would have looked if his face had been completed. He did detect a faint look of sadness twinge her eyes. He knew every expression that she was capable of, having watched her for so long. He wondered if it had been him that she was sad about or something else. He held the photograph to his lips as if the very action would animate the people in it. The letter was neatly folded and he recognized Christine's meticulous handwriting. He knew it because it was he who forced her to write so perfectly. He had worked with her for many long hours perfecting it emphasizing that it would help her fit in with any class of person, including the nobility.

He unfolded the letter and began to read

_Dear Erik:_

_If you are reading this letter then I am probably dead. A large part of me died anyhow when you left me there alone to face the world and Raoul. Madame Giry explained to me what she had told you but I wish that you had given me my say. I realized after that week that we spent together that I loved you beyond all boundaries or reason. It would not have mattered to me that you could provide me with nothing or that you were a wanted murderer. My father and I wandered the roads of Europe before he became too ill to travel. We were happy because we had each other, as I would have been with you if you had given our love a chance. _

_I am not reproaching you. The better part of the blame for our fate rests upon me. If I had not ran away from you and your love for so long, you would not have felt compelled to commit any of the crimes that forced you to flee from the Opera House. In my naivety, I was tempted by the both the handsome features, and the social status of Raoul. Everyone told me how lucky that I was to be the Vicomtesse de Chagny. But it was an empty honor for me. My real soul was not embedded with my legal husband but with my spiritual one. Madame Giry did tell me that you arrived safely in America but would never reveal to me where. _

_I hope that you have found a new love. Another who could love and cherish you as I do and would have. You did leave me with a special gift, our son Gustave Charles who was conceived in our love. Raoul could not have children, something that we did not know until several years into our marriage. He had a congenital condition rendering it impossible for him to sire a child. He felt betrayed when he discovered the truth, that he could not conceive a child therefore he realized that Gustave was not his son. I knew who the father was from the moment that he opened his magnificent blue eyes but like you, Raoul has blue eyes but not your deep aqua color, which were soulful, and dare I admit, beautiful. When I look into our son's eyes I see you. He does many things that remind me of you and it has helped sooth some of the pain and regret that I still feel about what happened, even after all of this time. He is a wonderful child full of life and your own genius. He learned to play the piano at the age of two. Raoul knows the truth. I can see the betrayal in his eyes whenever he looks at me. I never should have deceived him, but should have had my child and forced the truth of where you were out of Antoinette Giry. I was a coward and did not do so. It has turned our marriage into a sham of what it used to be. We are two strangers residing in the same house. He has been with others but I do not care. It is better for both of us._

_My love, the reason that I am writing is that Raoul has grown concerned as of late. He will not tell me the reason which makes it more disconcerting. He has hired guards to watch us, also the Inspector who once hunted you. He told me that we are in danger but will not divulge why. I see him growing more fearful every day. He even told me that he had you exonerated for the sake of our son. He has named you Gustave's guardian despite all that has happened between you and him in the past. For him to do so can only mean that he knows that you will take Gustave and protect him against whoever or whatever is out there trying to hurt us. He always respected your ability to outsmart and survive any and all threats to you. While he despised your crimes, he could not help but admire that ability. Please ange, if you ever did love me and still hold me in any regard you must help Gustave and protect him at all costs. He represents the best in all of us; your talent and genius, my beauty and Raoul's sense of honor and righteousness. Yes, even after Raoul discovered my deception he continued to love and care for our son. Even as our marriage deteriorated his love for Gustave remained undiminished. _

_I pray that he finds a way to end the threat against us. I wish that I knew more about the nature of it. I only know that it has something to do with his family. We have not really been too open with one another since Raoul found out about Gustave. We simply went through the motions. In a way it was for the best because he no longer comes to me at night so I can fall asleep in my bed and dream of my angel and Phantom. You have become like a true ghost to me. Our lost love haunts me to this day. I cannot sing except to Gustave because it reminds me of how I had destroyed our love. It reminds me of you. Take care of our son, he is all that remains of us but as I said he represents the best of us. Love him if you can, most importantly keep him safe._

_With love and regret mon ange _

_Christine_

He dropped the letter and his tears fell like rain on its pages, smearing the black ink. He was despondent with both grief and regret. He slammed the top of his desk in anger not noticing a small key that had dropped out of the envelope, at the same time as the photograph. Both it and the envelope fell back behind the desk unnoticed. In the meantime he was thinking darkly that he was glad that he did not send de la Croix away. He needed answers that this man must have discovered. He had clearly not done his job if Christine still died despite his protection. He would pay for his failure. His anger began to rise. He grabbed his Punjab and made his way back downstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

I am pleased to see that most of my readers are back and openly speculating as to a variety of matters. They are well aware of my penchant for surprises. They know that I chose my words carefully, and some people reread my chapters for signs of what surprise that I might unveil later. I always encourage people to do so because at times their speculation is either completely wrong or hits it right on. This chapter will be another informative one, it is still early. So you still have much to learn.

Chapter 4

Erik ceased his mourning and his temper turned into a murderous anger towards his guest. The man was hired to protect both Christine and the child and he failed. Now his Christine was gone, and his son was an orphan. Even though he was Erik's flesh and blood, Erik knew that his old adversary made a better father than he ever could. He did not know the first thing about raising a child. His parents let him raise himself until he ran away and was captured by the gypsies who certainly taught him nothing about doing so. They treated him as an animal and kept him in a cage outdoors feeding him scraps of leftover food, as if he were a pig or a pet dog. They did not even care that it was spoiled and covered with maggots. They would laugh and tell him that the maggots were a delicacy, and definitely good enough for a corpse. In fact they found it amusing to feed them to him calling it a reverse of the natural order. They made it part of his act. The crowds would be both aghast and fascinated at the same time. That was how he knew that he would not make a good father. He did not have a childhood, only an unending nightmare of hatred and violence directed towards him. How could he raise a child when he had never been one? The boy would only reject him, just as they all had, one more heartbreaking moment to add to a lifetime of such.

Erik grabbed his Punjab lasso from its hiding place. It had not been used since the night that it had found itself around the Vicomte's neck. He had no reason to do so since he never saw anyone but his two companions. He wanted to make the former 'Inspecteur' pay for his incompetence. Of course in the past, it had worked to Erik's advantage. He had stayed one step ahead of the man. But now Christine was gone, and this man had done nothing to stop her death from happening. Such bumbling incompetence! And now the only woman that he ever loved, and that had loved him, in return was dead!"

He came down from his quarters and entered the common area all eating dinner together.

Nadir noticed him before he could strike and smiled "Ah, you have decided to join us. It is so unexpected that you would do so."

"I'm not here to eat. I am here to do away with our guest. He was supposed to keep Christine safe and now she is dead." He told them ominously. His stormy aqua eyes could be seen through the hood of his robe. They were fiery with rage, and could melt even the snow that was raging outside. "They will assume that he died in the snow heading this way." He readied his Punjab lasso to strike.

Nadir stepped out to protect de la Croix and grabbed the cat gut noose out of Erik's hand. It fell harmlessly to the floor. Erik gave his friend a venomous look. "You have interfered with me one time too many Daroga. Perhaps I should kill you as well for your treachery."

The Persian looked at him calmly and unfazed by his words. He knew that Erik was just venting his anguish and would calm down. If he truly wanted to kill Pierre, he would not have approached them so openly. "You don't want to do this Erik; it is your grief speaking not your mind. You will regret it if you harm Monsieur de la Croix. It doesn't matter whether or not you get away with it with the authorities I would know, Darius would know and most importantly you would know. It is why you withdrew from the world to start with to keep your temper at bay, and protect you from the world and the world from you. You have come so far Erik." He told him gently like a father soothing an angry child. "Use your brain not your heart. It is your brain that needs to guide you in this respect. I know that you are hurting over the death of Christine but this is not the way to express it. It won't bring her back."

Erik looked at him fiercely and their eyes met in mutual battle but Erik finally let his anger go. "Fine." He hissed "But I will question this man further and he better give me satisfactory answers."

Nadir smiled "Sit down at the table like a civilized man and dine with us, and for Allah's sake remove the robe and the hood. You look like someone from one of those Edgar Allen Poe books that you are so fond of."

Darius smirked. De la Croix was happy that the Persian had talked Erik out of trying to kill him, but wondered how the man was able to tease his friend when his behavior at the moment seemed very unstable. He wondered whether or not the Phantom would strike him once Nadir let down his guard. De la Croix fingered the loaded pistol that he had in his pocket just in case.

As if reading his mind, Nadir turned to him and told him "My apologies for my young friend's behavior here. He has not had much interaction with others lately and can appear to be less than friendly. Erik is normally quite sane these days. He has not had any sort of episode since leaving France years ago. Unfortunately the news that you have brought is quite severe for my friend and he is venting his anger on you. When he realizes that it is counterproductive he will become much more civil. Isn't that right Erik?"

Erik just snarled at him. Darius couldn't help but to laugh. Erik growled "Darius if you don't stop your behavior you will wear my lasso as an ornament instead of Monsieur le Inspecteur."

"I am not an inspector any longer so you may call me Pierre." The visitor told them. "Monsieur Destler, I am truly distressed at your loss. The Vicomtesse was a beautiful woman both inwardly and outwardly. She was nothing but kind to me on the occasions that we met. On that day in particular, she changed her plans at the last minute. She expected the Vicomte's mother to visit, something that never happened considering the Vicomte's standing in the family. She told me that I needed to leave, and left herself alone with the Comtesse. The Vicomtesse and Comtesse had a matter of mutual importance to discuss and did not want anyone to know the nature of their discussions. The Vicomte returned to the house and an argument took place, his mother was seen to storm out of the room. The assailant came in right after she left and attacked both the Vicomte and Vicomtesse. The boy returned from his walk shortly after his parents were both shot. He was most upset and had to be removed. I removed both the boy and his nanny from the house right after the incident took place, and hid them away, while I searched for a way to find you."

Nadir looked at Erik placidly "You see it was Christine who opened herself up to what happened by dismissing everyone to speak with her mother-in-law. This man here is clearly innocent of any wrongdoing. The murderer must have known about the meeting between them and used it as a time to attack. Aren't you glad that you listened to him rather than gone off half -cocked? Perhaps if you had maintained more self -control in the past you might not have given Monsieur de la Croix any reason to chase you out of France."

He smiled at de la Croix "My friend here has a terrible temper which fortunately does not rear its ugly head very often any more. Of course any matter that involves Christine Daae puts my old friend here on an uneven keel." He turned back to Erik "For Allah's sake, I told you take off that robe and hood. I would like to see who I am talking to, not suspect that he is a hungry vampire."

The Phantom stiffened for a moment but then relaxed.

"Very well." Erik replied and took off the robe and hood revealing himself to the ex-inspector. He was wearing a facial prosthetic which looked so real that you could hardly tell that he was wearing it. He looked perfectly normal; in fact he was quite handsome in it.

The inspector's eyes narrowed in shock "Why you are not even wearing a mask."

Erik told him proudly "I assure you that I am, but it is better known as a facial prosthetic. My first one was designed for me in France outside of Calais, and it fooled you and your men when they were looking for me. It was a much cruder version than my current one. Eight years ago this technology was not as advanced as it is today. I made this one myself and it is more advanced than any other out there."

"That was how you got by me in Calais. We were looking for a man in a mask or in bandages we did not think to look for someone with a normal face." he told the former Phantom in amazement.

The Phantom smiled "It was my Persian friend's idea. He was a police chief in Persia. They were going to sneak me out of France in a coffin, but someone had tipped you off to that plan, so instead we saw a young physician in Calais who had just finished training in Germany. We paid him good money to create my first prosthetic but it was still rather crude due to the speed in which the man had to work. Your net was closing around me. By the way who was it that betrayed me? Antoinette? Meg Giry? We never did figure it out."

Pierre replied "No one and everyone, but they did not know that they did so. We came upon the farmhouse where you had been hiding and overheard Madame Giry and Mademoiselle Daae discussing the hearse that was supposed to bring you to Calais. We immediately headed to Calais and looked for a coffin being unloaded aboard a freighter. It was easy to know which one was involved because it was the only one in port that day. Unfortunately for us, you were not in the coffin when we searched." Pierre admitted.

Erik laughed "I walked right by you and your men. I even tipped my hat to you. My ship was docked right next to the freighter. It was rather amusing watching you fumble around looking for me on the freighter while we set sail for Ireland, and then New York. The prosthetic was useful upon reaching New York as well. There was some fear that the American authorities at Castle Gardens would reject me due to my hideous face, but they let me pass. They barely gave me a second glance, my first class ticket and fluent English was enough to make them ignore me. Nadir and Darius had more difficulty than I because of their less than perfect English and somewhat swarthy appearance but they were well dressed and courteous, and the authorities let them pass as well.

"If you look so normal, why do you never leave this place? No one would even notice unless they looked at you very closely. Your workmanship is truly remarkable." he asked Erik.

Erik looked at him and smiled "Because, I have little desire to have anything to do with my fellow man. After leaving New York we spent several years in Nevada and California where I worked in the Gold and Silver mines, and Nadir and Darius sold supplies to the miners. In my spare time I managed to learn how to play the American game of poker and became particularly proficient at it. Wearing my prosthetic helped, because I was able to hide my emotions better. I had a perfect poker face. I would retire for the night after work to a saloon and find companions to play with, preferably the young and arrogant ones. One night I was playing against a drunken Australian who bragged about owning a small gold mine. I could see that he possessed no self -control, and we continued to raise the stakes. I had a particularly good hand and won the mine from him. I used that small mine to work up the capital to buy other mines and some railroad stock. The man that I won it from was furious and wanted to fight me, but I won it fairly by all accounts. I would not fight him because I had no desire to call more attention to myself. The sheriff intervened on my behalf and calmed the man down. He did not like losing to what he called a 'dandy Frenchman.'"

"You are a most fascinating man Monsieur le Fantome. I must admit that when I took charge of your case, I volunteered to so because I found you to be so clever. You stood out from the other petty criminals that I had to deal with. I have always admired your elegance and genius. I thought that it was a shame that you had been driven by society to commit your offenses. In another time and with a more acceptable face you might have been honored as one of the greatest men in France. Monsieur Garnier thought so. I know that you helped him to design and build the Palais Garnier. After that night that it burned, he came to me on your behalf and begged me to let you be. He claimed that you were no criminal just misunderstood. Of course your two murders made such impossible. I had to pursue you because of them. Tell me, why would a man of your obvious talents and accomplishments ruin everything by killing those two men? It has always bothered me that you did so. It made no sense."

Nadir interrupted "Did you not just see his murderous temper? He lost it of course."

Pierre looked over to Erik "I was asking you. What was your justification?"

"Buquet was following me around and stalking me, and scaring the ballet rats. He was always about trying to catch one of the girls while they were undressing which raised my hackles. I asked Madame Giry to warn him that his inappropriate behavior would lead to bad consequences but he ignored her warning completely. I had to set an example and it seemed to fit the bill at the time. Piangi was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I could not take the risk of him escaping and warning you and so I silenced him. To be honest I did not intend to kill him but he struggled to hard to free himself and choked himself. But if I had not disabled him he would be alive today. It is another reason that I stay here. I feel that I must pay penance for all of my past actions. I do not deserve to be free." He told Pierre.

"What about your gypsy captor? I understand that you killed him as well?" The inspector asked.

Erik looked at the inspector angrily "I do not regret killing him. I was only seven years old when he captured me, and he abused me by whipping me and forcing me to do terrible things to make his act more gruesome. I was a delicate child when he found me. Innocent of the horrors that humanity could inflict on one another. He treated me worse than his animals; at least they did not know any better. I used to envy his prize horse Cicero, at least he was given massages and carrots. I was purposely given rotten food and maggots to eat. It amused him to watch me vomit as he would force me to eat such things. He would tease me about my 'delicate stomach'. I was only a child, I only wanted what other children were given by virtue of being born, a loving family, and a warm roof over my head and clean clothes to wear. I had none of those things."

"Mon dieu, I would have killed him myself if I had seen him do such things and to a child. You put a rabid dog down." Pierre admitted.

"Yet everyone hated me and shunned me Monsieur le Inspecteur, including you. You hunted me without mercy." Erik snarled at him bitterly.

"It was never personal Monsieur Destler. It was simply my job. Perhaps if I had known some of your circumstances I would have felt more sympathetic to you, but I did not know about any of it. How could I? Even so my job was to bring you to justice; it was not my job to try and convict you or to exonerate you." Pierre told him defensively.

Erik lost a little of his hostility observing "Well now you know the truth, and why I cannot be a father to the boy. I am unsuited to such a thing. By the way where is he? Still in France?"

"No Monsieur he is here in Colorado with his nanny. It is too dangerous for the boy there. I had to keep him near me to protect him." Pierre told him. "Please Monsieur you must take the boy. Nothing that you have told me disqualifies you from taking him. In fact, it has the opposite effect because I now understand some of your actions better. You are not a cold and calculating murderer as your reputation suggests. You are just a man who has undergone a great deal of suffering. You snapped from the experience back there in Paris. You are not the first man to be spurned by a lover and been driven to the edges of what might be defined as sanity. In fact Monsieur considering your past and despite your temper, I think you are sane enough to handle the child. The Vicomtesse wanted you to watch over him, as did the Vicomte who was once your greatest enemy. It was he who enlisted me to clear the charges against you, and then leave the care of the boy to you in his will. If he did not think you capable of such a thing would he have done so? At least see the boy before you decide." The Frenchman pleaded.

"Very well I do have a curiosity to meet him." Erik replied "You may bring him here tomorrow. I will send Darius into town with you and he will bring the boy back."

"Alone?" asked Pierre.

Erik looked stunned "No of course not with you and his nanny. He will need you to escort him back to France. It will be easier that way. Does he know why he is here?"

"We told him only that you were a cousin of his mother's and her old friend as well. The boy does not know his true heritage. It was thought that it could wait until he was older and understood better." Pierre admitted.

"A cousin? Well I guess that it would suit. I will meet this boy but I doubt that any of it will matter. I am not likely to change my mind about this." Erik mused.

"I pray that you do Monsieur he is a good boy, and has lost so much already in his young life. It would do him a world of good to gain a father. You and I both know what it is like not to have one in your life. I also believe that the boy may be in danger from whoever killed his parents. I know of no better protector than the Phantom of the Opera. It is why I followed the instructions and came so far. It is how I got the Baroness to reveal your address. Do you want your son to die Monsieur?" the man pleaded.

"Of course not, even I am not that vile." Erik admitted "It is why I am allowing him to visit me but I promise no more than that. I am sure that I can find a way to protect him without my presence in his life. There are many ways to make a child disappear."

"But there would always be the risk that he would be found and the boy has a large fortune and heritage. No matter who sired him, he is still a Vicomte; Raoul de Chagny made it clear to all that he accepted the boy as his undisputed heir no matter what. A specific codicil to his will was added to set aside any challenge to his claim upon his inheritance and his succession to the title. He told me of it, and how he gave Christine a copy of it as well, in case something were to happen to him, and anyone in his family would dare to challenge the boy. Despite his hatred towards you, he was very proud of the boy. When he is older, he may benefit from his title and the instant respect that it will provide to him. Once he is settled, I can go about my business and find out who has murdered his parents and bring them to justice. I will rejoin the gendarmerie. Without my help I do not trust them to be thorough enough." He admitted.

"Didn't the Vicomte give you any information? You were in his employ. Surely the fop should have trusted you with what he knew." Erik observed.

"He did not tell me that much, only that he and his family were at odds over the current political situation in France. He was rather secretive. There is still a lot of resentment towards the nobility from the former Communards and other anarchists in France but at the moment they have been quiet. Lately the challenges have come from the followers of General Boulanger. I know that his brother Philippe has been a staunch and outspoken Boulangist. Perhaps that had something to do with it. He and they were not on good terms. As I told you, his mother came to visit the Vicomtesse right before the murders. We do not know why." He told him.

"Boulangist? What does that mean? I have not kept up with the events in France that recently. It takes months for news to reach here, and by the time that it does, the events are long past."

"Yes there have been a series of scandals involving the Republic. Two years ago the former President Grevy's son –in- law Daniel Wilson was accused of selling Legion of Honor Medals and lining his pockets. When it became public knowledge Grevy was forced to resign, and since then the General has become quite popular. He had come through the scandals unscathed, and demanded to be made the Minister of Defense by the new President of the Republic, Carnot. Carnot refused to do so and Boulanger has publically attacked him. Boulanger started a movement that has the three guiding principles of Revenge on Germany, Revision of the Constitution and the Restoration of the Monarchy. The movement received a great deal of support from many sources including both the Bonapartists and the Comte de Paris, the Bourbon pretender. His supporters would like him to become the President or better yet restore the monarchy." De la Croix continued "I wouldn't mind him taking control myself. France has been too volatile for the past two decades with these Republicans. It is time to restore some order to our country."

"You forget how weak both the Bonapartists and the Monarchists were. A republic is better. Look at this country, since their civil war they have had a very stable republic, a good role model for France." Erik replied.

"You and the Vicomte agreed on more than you would think. He believed the Boulangists to be dangerous especially the General himself. He was very vocal in his support for the republic, he called the General a 'would be Napoleon'". He was getting very involved in the opposition despite the Comte's support of Boulanger. Perhaps that might be the answer to why he was killed."

"But why kill Christine and Gustave? Why would they be targeted?" Erik asked gravely. "It makes no sense."

"There are persistent rumors floating around that Philippe gave a great deal of money to the Boulangist cause, the fleshpots of the Moulin Rouge, the roulette tables, and the watering holes of Paris as well. Even his support for the Opera Populaire drained his finances; he financed the rebuilding of the Opera House. Since he has no heir of his own perhaps he did not want to see a boy of dubious parentage assume his title."

"I don't trust either you or the gendarmes to discover the truth. You are hardly competent. Both the Vicomte and Vicomtesse are dead and you let me slip through your hands with the full force of the gendarmerie behind you."

"Ah but you are a genius Monsieur, and your friend was once a police chief; I am sure that between the two of you, you were always one step ahead of me and my men. It was frustrating to say the least. The Vicomte was very unhappy when your trail went stale. He was very worried that you would go after them and renew your attempts to take his wife." Pierre observed.

"He was a fool. I left them to their happy life on purpose. I could not expose Christine to life as a wife of a hunted fugitive and murderer such as myself. It would have been unfair to do so, and selfish." Erik told him.

"Well you are no longer hunted and have not been for almost five years. You are free to return to France any time and do as you please. The Phantom of the Opera has become only a legend not a story. With your new prosthetic no one would even suspect you. You could live there openly as a widower with a son if you like." Pierre told him.

"I will leave the task of finding out what happened to you for now, despite my reservations about your competence. At the moment I am not sure that I could go back to France and live with the memories, or rejoin humanity as I would undoubtedly be forced to do; but I will think about it, Inspecteur. Now I will leave you to your meal. It is uncomfortable for me to eat with my prosthetic and I would not subject you to looking at my face. It is very unappetizing, unless you become accustomed to it, like the Daroga and Darius." The Phantom retrieved his robe and took a plate of food with him leaving the Inspector to enjoy a meal with the Persian men.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you to all who have reviewed so far TMara, Paula Grandmother, Miss Fleck 734, Kitkat, Icanherarthedrums, MarilynKC, and of course Judybear 236. If I missed thanking you I am sorry, I am grateful to all of you who read this and my other stories. I hope that people are reading this story. I am afraid that I might turn a few off because of Christine.

Chapter 5

The next morning Darius accompanied Pierre into the town. The boy and his nanny, Simone, were staying at a hotel there, it like much in Madison was owned by Erik. They had rented a large suite as befitting their status as nobility. Everyone in town wondered who the nobleman was, and why he was there. They did not realize that he was a child.

When Darius found out that they were registered under the De Chagny name he told Pierre. "Monsieur Destler will be furious that you did not travel under a pseudonym. It is his first rule of travel when there is danger. Destler is not even his real name it is De Rennes. In a small town such as this it is especially important. As Frenchmen alone you would stand out, but as a nobleman it is impossible not to receive notice. They have no nobility here."

"You are right of course. I did use a pseudonym to buy the tickets to come here but we have been traveling under our real names since we arrived in New York. I did not think that anyone could trace us once we left France. We sailed to England first and then to New York masquerading as an English family."

"We will not tell him, but he might find out. He does read the local newspaper every day. Even though he has retired from the world he still likes to know what is going on. It helps him target his investments. He will not look at anything from France though. He says that the memories are too painful." Darius told him.

They opened the door and were greeted by the nanny. "Where have you been Pierre? We were worried sick about you. We were afraid that you either perished in the snow or that Monsieur le Fantome did something to you. I am still leery about him."

"As you can see I am fine. Did you tell the boy scary stories about the Phantom yet again? If he is as bad as he was portrayed to be, would the Vicomte and Vicomtesse have asked for him to be the boy's guardian?" Pierre observed.

"I have not spoken ill of the man since you bade me not to. Still he has heard whispered stories about le Fantome and the Vicomtesse for his entire life. Many servants did not realize that he was able to understand them. He spoke whole sentences at less than a year old. He is as scared of the man as I am. I could not ask the Vicomtesse about him, she might have thought that I was prying." The nanny said.

"The boy sounds like his father." Darius observed. The nanny's head snapped up it was the first time that she had noticed him.

"Oh Monsieur, are you the Phantom? I am sorry I did not notice you." she said nervously.

Darius laughed "Do I look like a Phantom? I am Monsieur Khan's servant Darius. We live with Erik the man to whom you are referring."

"Yes of course, you do not wear a mask. I should have known" she admitted.

Pierre asked her "Where is the boy?"

"He is still sleeping he was up half the night playing his music until the manager came in and told him that he needed to stop playing at such a late hour." She told him.

"I am not surprised." He turned to Darius "He is always playing the piano and composing music for it. He possesses his father's genius."

"We did not dare to ask you in front of Erik Is he like his father in any other ways?" Darius wondered.

"If you mean to ask whether the boy is also deformed the answer is no. Quite the opposite he is an unusually handsome child. He bears a great resemblance to both of his parents. I noticed that Erik has the same eyes exactly." Pierre told him.

Pierre turned to the woman "Simone you must wake the child. We are to take him to see him."

"Then he has accepted him?" she asked.

"No, he is hesitant." Pierre told her.

She smiled "Good. I would rather not have to stay with le Fantome. I would prefer that we return to France. Surely whoever killed the parents would not harm a child."

Pierre shook his head "No, Simone we do not know what they may be capable of doing. The Vicomte and Vicomtesse both requested that Monsieur Destler become the guardian of the child. It was felt that he would protect him fiercely. You know what his real relationship is to the child, and now Monsieur Destler knows as well. I revealed everything to him. Wake the child and ready him to go. We have a hard journey up the mountain where he lives."

She looked at Darius "Why is he so isolated? It would not be good for a child to be so."

"Monsieur Destler has a tragic past Mademoiselle. You will find him to be quite different than you would expect him to be. He is not very trusting of humanity and has decided that he would be better off without people near him. He chose this place for that reason to have a sanctuary where he could live without the harsh judgment of his fellow man. You do not need to fear him; he has never harmed a woman or a child." Darius reassured her.

"But it is well known that le Fantome has killed. A child should not be near such a murderous man." She told him.

He looked at her in the eyes "Yes, he has killed many but almost all who he has killed either deserved it or were under the authority of law. He is haunted by the accidental death of Signore Piangi, and he also knows that he should have let Monsieur Buquet be as well. He has not killed in a long time, and I do not think that he would ever do so again unless he was either threatened or had to come to someone's aid who had been threatened."

"What kind of man would kill to begin with?" she asked still skeptical. "I have told Monsieur de la Croix what I am telling you, the Phantom belongs on a guillotine with his head in a basket. The little Vicomte should not be with such a man. He will not listen"

Darius grew angry "He is man who has never had the chance to live like the rest of us; because of something that he has no control over. A burden that Allah gave to him most likely to find him worthy of entrance to heaven. Allah has also blessed this man with many other gifts that the rest of mankind has rejected. Do you know what he has spent the last four years doing he has invented many marvelous machines such as music that is transmitted by radio waves, cars that drive on electricity, automatons and other fantastic gadgetry but once he builds them he destroys most of them. Do you know why Mademoiselle? No you don't because you don't care to know but I will tell you anyways; to fill the void in his heart that we all have created in him. No offense Mademoiselle, but you do not know this man personally, you only know of him. Why don't you save your judgment for after you get to know him, if he allows you to do so? He may take one look at your demeanor and order Monsieur de la Croix to put you back on the first boat to La Havre. If he does I will be more than happy to take you to the train station myself."

She looked at Pierre "This man is certainly uppity for a mere servant. I shall complain to his employer when we arrive. It is outrageous."

"I am not a mere servant of Monsieur Khan I am a companion to him. He is of Royal Persian blood, a Qajari prince and I am of good family as well but not of Royalty. I am a retainer not a servant. I do tend to many of the household chores. Monsieur Erik does not trust or like people so he will not hire any servants. You are a perfect example Mademoiselle, judging someone that you have never even met." Darius told her haughtily.

Pierre looked at both of them "Let's not argue. Simone ready the boy to meet with his father. I have listened your opinions unendingly since we left France and am not persuaded."

The nanny did as she was told and woke the boy up. A short time later he was ready to travel. Darius looked at the boy and was impressed by what he saw the boy was very handsome, he had the best of both parents in his features. It was hard to believe that he was the son of Monsieur Erik. Every one of Erik's features that he did inherit had been changed for the better to make this boy so perfect. Allah had bestowed many blessings on this child.

The child addressed him very formally holding out his hand like a gentleman. Darius and he shook hands and the strength in the child's grip displayed a maturity beyond his years. He looked into the boy's blue eyes, Erik's eyes and could find the same raw intelligence there that he saw in Erik, but without the look of sadness and tragedy that usually framed Erik's expressions.

"How did this man know my parents?" Gustave asked Darius. "Simone only tells me not to be frightened and Pierre tells me only that he is a distant relation. They both act very mysteriously." The boy asked. "We have come a long way to see this man. Does he even care to see me?"

"I think that Erik will be very pleased with you Monsieur le Vicomte. He may seem a little distant with you at first but he is a very kind man once you get to know him." Darius told him.

"You have a strange look and accent Monsieur where are you from?" the boy queried.

Darius laughed "I am from Persia in the East. My master and I met Monsieur Erik there many years ago. We are far from home and people like us, but Monsieur Erik has always needed us to be with him. He trusts no one but us."

"That seems so sad Monsieur Darius. Why is he so mistrustful of people?" the boy asked.

"He has lived a very hard life from the time that he was born. His own family rejected him when he was but a child. I will let him tell you the details should he decide to." Darius told him. "It is not my place to do so only his. I hope that you will grow to care about one another. If you let him into your heart he will give you the world. You must try to let him Monsieur le Vicomte; he would be a great father to you."

"He will never be a father to me Monsieur no matter what. My father and I did everything together. He was the best father that he could be." Darius could see a look of sadness cross the boy's face. "The best that there ever could be."

"You should treasure your memories with your late father but a heart has room for many people. I am only urging you to find a place in it for Erik. Your 'cousin' has never had any family of his own save for Monsieur Khan and me but we are friends and nothing more. You could give him something that he has never had and that you no longer have." He told the boy.

"I don't think so Monsieur. I miss mon pere so much. I couldn't possibly look at anyone else the same way." The boy insisted. He reminded Darius of his father in his stubbornness. Between the nanny and the boy's attitudes the chances that Erik would accept either of them in his life were very slim. He would never put himself out knowing that he would be rejected once more. His heart had been broken too many times. Darius suddenly thought that this was a bad idea but it was not his decision to stop it.

He escorted the guests to the carriage and journeyed back up the mountain side. They arrived at the house and Darius opened the door to the carriage and let their guests out.

The boy looked at the gothic house in the gingerbread Victorian style complete with a widow's walk and turned to his nanny. "The place looks dark and haunted. I am not sure that I want to go in."

Darius told him "Boy I have lived here for almost five years there is nothing to fear in this house it is a sanctuary for Mr Erik. There are no ghosts here, just the three of us."

"I am afraid of ghosts and phantom's I once heard my father tell someone how a phantom once tried to kill him, but Maman told the ghost to let him go and he did." The boy told him.

Darius glanced at the other two adults "Well since the Phantom freed your father maybe he was not so bad after all'. In any event that happened long ago in Paris, far across the ocean from here. Let the ghosts of the past rest."

Darius showed them inside and seated them all in the drawing room. The furniture in there looked barely used as none of the occupants of the house ever received visitors.

"I will be back momentarily with Monsieur's Khan and Destler. I will bring some refreshments as well."

The boy saw a violin in the room. He went over and fingered it as if he were going to play it.

The nanny cautioned him "Don't you dare play it Monsieur le Vicomte. It would be pretentious and unbecoming of you to do so."

"Yes Simone, I will wait here patiently." He told her.

"You are a good boy Gustave. Your parents would have been proud of you; you are growing more mature every day. Perhaps we will be lucky and we can return to France once this meeting is over. I will take care of you as I have since you were born." She told him.

Pierre looked at her "Do not tell the boy such things. It is in his best interests to remain here where he will be safe with Monsieur Destler. I am tired of you undermining what his own parents desired."

"I do not understand you Monsieur when you were a gendarme you hunted this same man…." She said.

He cut her off with a hiss. "You will be quiet and keep your opinions to yourself. It is no wonder that the boy is nervous. You are feeding him false information."

"The boy's welfare is my sole concern, not our host's feelings." She said defensively.

"His welfare is best served being here, Mademoiselle." Pierre told her he turned to the boy "Trust your parents, Monsieur le Vicomte. This man will help you. He will not fail. He will know how to keep you safe."

"Who will keep the boy safe from him?" she asked sarcastically.

A voice came out of nowhere in a disembodied manner "The Inspecteur is correct. I have never harmed a woman or a child Madame. Perhaps there is a first time for someone who would condemn a man by his reputation alone. I hope that you have not taught the little Vicomte such an undesirable trait. The young mind is so impressionable and to teach a child to be intolerant is unconscionable. Don't you agree Mademoiselle?"

She gasped "Where is that voice coming from? Come out at once I insist."

"And you will do what Mademoiselle? Harm me? As if a mere woman could do so." Erik stepped into the room fully robed once more. His face was obscured. "Do not fear me Mademoiselle, or you either, little Vicomte."

He looked at both of them. The boy could not see anything under the hood, and looked away uncomfortably. Simone trembled in terror. Erik approached the boy and examined him.

"I can see that you resemble your mother a great deal. How fortunate for you that you do not resemble your father." He averred blandly.

The boy looked at him defiantly "Do not insult my father Monsieur. He was a good man and a handsome one. I would be proud to look like him."

The robed man moved closer to him yet and sighed. "Yet you do not. Someday soon child, you might understand the meaning of my words, but for now I will leave them up to you to ponder. It is a compliment to you that you do not resemble that unfortunate man. I can see a little of him in your eyes and facial structure, and in your form. But fortunately, in your essence, you are your mother's son and that is a blessing. Christine was the most beautiful woman that I have ever beheld. "

The boy turned to his nanny "You are right Simone, I do not want to be here with this strange man." He turned to Pierre "I want to go back to France, I don't care if he is my cousin, he is creepy. He reminds me of the monster that mon pere and you told me about. Le Fantome, the one that tried to kill mon pere."

Erik cringed inwardly at the boy's words, and then looked at Pierre dismissively. "I think that our business is concluded. The boy clearly has no need for my protection. His nanny and you shall do just fine. As you can see I do not have a gift for dealing with children."

Nadir stepped in "You lie Erik; you were great with my son and with his mother at the opera house as well, at least when she was younger. You are giving up too easily. You and the boy have scarcely had a moment to speak to get to know each other."

Erik looked at him in astonishment "The boy has guessed the truth. I am a monster, not worthy to get to know. Certainly not a proper receptical for his affections. It is most obvious that make his skin crawl. It is clear that he believes that he needs protection from me."

Nadir pleaded "He doesn't know you at all. You look at him for a moment and have decided that you know what is in his heart."

The robed man looked at his friend "I do not need more than a moment to see into the boy's heart. It is closed to me as I knew that it would be. I am not in the business of harboring unwilling guests, or any guests for that matte,r no matter how closely that they may be tied to me. The boy clearly misses his father. I cannot hope to find a place in his heart. There is clearly no reason for me to give him a place in mine. He would only break it as did his mother before him. It was a mistake to see him." He turned to go.

The boy looked at him in confusion "Wait, did say that you knew my mother, monsieur? How? Who were you to her?"

"Yes little Vicomte, I knew her quite well. I was her music teacher in Paris, at the opera house, a long time ago. She and I were good friends until obstacles got in the way. We could not remain friends after that."

Gustave looked at him more closely and with less hostility "You were her angel of music then?"

"Yes, that was one of her names that she called me." Erik replied tepidly, searching the boy for some sign of softening towards him.

" She spoke of you to me often. She missed you so much. I used to see her crying sometimes and ask her why she was sad. She told me that she had let you believe that she did not want you around anymore and that she missed you a great deal." He studied the man in the robe but could see nothing. "She told me that you always wore a white half mask to cover your face."

Erik mused "In those days I did. I do not don such a mask very often anymore." He looked at the boy with his voice mellowed a little as he thought of Christine. He was touched that she had still cared for him, and spoke of him fondly to their son. He wanted to know a little more. He was starved for information about her "Tell me what else your mother told you about her angel of music?"

"She told me that her father and my namesake promised her that he would send her an angel of music when he went to heaven, but for many months she thought that he broke his promise to her. She was still quite young, around my age, when she heard a voice calling out to her in the dark; to comfort her. His voice was the most unearthly one that she had ever heard. So perfect kind and beautiful just as her father promised her. Although they became friends and he made her voice sound equally beautiful, she rejected him when she appeared to him as a man. She did not understand either the nature of his love, or the extent of her feelings towards him until it was too late and he was gone. He took her voice with him." He looked at Erik and continued "Maman said that when he left he took her soul with him and her voice."

Erik looked at him shaken "Did she say that she still loved him?"

"Of course Monsieur she loved him always, but not in the way that she loved father. She told me that she loved him with all of her immortal soul. She loved father for his kindness and gentle nature. If you are her angel then why did you never come to see her again? Why did you leave her for good? You made her so sad that she used to cry for you. My father and she would argue over it. " he asked innocently.

"At the time that I left France, I could provide nothing for your mother but a hard road ahead of her and an uncertain future. I knew that your father would be able to give her everything that she could want, or need, and so I gave up my claim upon her." He explained.

"But she wanted you. Why not stay and continue your friendship at least? She was most unhappy without you there in her life." he told him.

"Because it could not be. Your father and I could not exist in the same place, we could not both be her friend. Because he was the safer choice for your mother, I left her. It broke my heart to do so, and obviously hers as well, but I thought that it would be for the best, young Vicomte. I could not serve as her guardian angel and put her in danger could I?" he asked gently. "I would have failed her and that was something that I was unwilling to do."

"Yet she is gone Monsieur and you are here far away and did nothing to save her." He told him.

A softness crept into the older man's voice "I will regret my mistake until my dying day young Vicomte that I so obviously failed your mother when I wanted only to protect her and to ensure that she had a happy life."

"Then how would you propose to protect me?" asked the boy. "Monsieur de la Croix. I do not see how this man could protect me. He would desert me as he did my mother. Let us go back to France and take our chances there."

"You speak of what you do not know Monsieur le Vicomte." Pierre told him "This man had many good reasons to leave your mother." He turned to the robed man. "Perhaps he is old enough to learn the truth Monsieur."

"And destroy everything that he has left to cling to from the past? For what purpose?" Erik replied. "Why should he be told when it would change nothing? Let the boy return to France or take him someplace where no one will find him until the danger has passed. You do not need to dredge up ancient history."

"I have spent much time with the boy and I think that he could understand if you give him the opportunity. He is a bright child." The former inspector told him.

"You heard him. No one could replace the Vicomte as his father, least of all me. You could protect him, and you are not 'creepy'." He replied the hurt still showing in his voice.

Nadir interrupted "Erik, do you really want to put the boy in danger by sending him back there? You do not know that it is safe to do so. You are the only one who is capable of protecing him completely. There is no one who would do a better job at doing so than you."

The boy looked at all of them in confusion. "Would you stop talking as if I were not here I can hear every word that you are saying. What are you keeping from me? Why did my parents wish me to come here to this man? Even if he was my mother's angel what is he to me."

Erik looked at the boy and dropped his hood revealing his seemingly perfect face.

"Why you lied to me! You are not my Maman's angel. He wore a half mask." The boy stammered.

"I am wearing a mask of a different sort boy, to conceal my face. One that makes my face look like everyone else's. But that is not the secret that we are keeping from you. The truth is boy that I am your real father." He looked at the boy expectantly. He could see the boy's contort with anger.

"No. You are lying my real father is Raoul, the Vicomte de Chagny. Why would you take my legacy from me, destroy my heritage with your lies? You are deceiving me just as you did my mother. You are no angel at all, but a liar." He accused. He turned to Pierre "Take me away from here now I do not want to listen to this liar anymore."

The Inspector looked at him "He is not lying to you boy. I heard it straight from your parent's mouths. It does not change the fact that Raoul de Chagny was your father in every other way, but this man here is speaking the truth. He is your father and he will protect you better than anyone else. He will lay down his own life for you. That is why your parents entrusted you to him."

The boy looked at his nanny "Is this the truth?"

"Your father loved you a great deal Gustave but he told me that another man was your real father. It did not matter to him nor should it matter to you." she told him.

"But it does matter to me." Gustave argued "Everyone in my life lied to me." He looked at Erik "I don't care whether or not you are my father I will never accept you in that way. You abandoned both me and my mother. Why should I have anything to do with you?"

Erik pulled his hood over his face once more. He did not want the boy to see how shaken he was by his words. He tried to maintain his calm façade even though he was upset on the inside. "You do not have to know me but I will protect you all the same. I did not know of your existence until yesterday. I left your mother because of what I am, what I will always be. I am more monster than man, boy. Beneath this mask lies a horror that I dare not show to anyone. Your mother could not abide it, nor can anyone else, but my two friends here." He turned to Nadir "Let the boy stay here, but far from me. I will watch over him but will not trouble him with getting to know me. He has nothing to gain from such an acquaintance and I am afraid that I have nothing to give him. I am an empty shell of the man that I once was." He turned to the Inspector and the nanny "I would ask that you both stay for a while to help the boy transition into his new life. Both of you have been more of a parent to the boy than I have been than I ever could be."

De la Croix replied "I will stay for a few weeks, but wish to return to France to begin an investigation his parent's death. I want to know what my former colleagues have learned."

Erik replied "Yes, I will need to know what sort of danger if any that the boy might be facing to protect him as best as I can. In the meantime, the boy wishes to have no part of me and that is his choice. I will honor his decision and watch out for him only from a distance."

He bowed to them in a gentlemanly manner "Good day Gentlemen, Mademoiselle." Before anyone could react he was gone, like the ghost that he once was. Erik was no stranger to being rejected and unwanted even by his own family. The audience with his son ended as he expected. He sadly retreated into his suite, closing the door behind him. He thoughtfully glanced out the window at the wintery sky and continued to give in to his feelings of loneliness.

When Erik was gone, Nadir turned to the boy and admonished "I know that you are just a child still but you have made a mistake. That man is your father, and he is capable of great love if you would have only accepted it. There is no man more loyal or loving than he would be, if given a chance. I know Erik very well, better than anyone, and I doubt that you will get a second chance. He would never risk it blood or no blood."

The boy looked at the Persian tearfully "What do I care about his feelings or his love? He has never been a father to me."

The Persian looked back at the boy "You may not think that you need him or want him now, but in time you will regret what you have done. You have been loved and pampered all of your life. You do not know even an iota of the pain that he has gone through. He has endured more than anyone should and still has a heart of gold. Darius will show you to your rooms and send for your items at the hotel. May Allah bless you and remove the blindness from your heart."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Erik retreated into his area of the house, without even a second glance at the others. Although he wanted to send the boy further away from him, he had looked at his nanny and sensed something not altogether right about her. Perhaps it was just her fear of him that made him feel that way. Most people who had encountered him did fear him. He was not oblivious to the effect that his height, unearthly voice and masked face had on others, but it wasn't like he had ever been given a choice to be less different than the rest of humanity. There was just something more that sparked his mistrust of her and it was enough to make him give the boy asylum, despite the boy's disdain for him. Perhaps he should tell Nadir to find a different woman to take care of the boy, and a tutor as well. He could have given the boy lessons in many sorts of things, as he had done for his mother long ago, but it was out of the question. He could not afford to grow attached to Gustave. Love had never been kind to him and he was unwilling to take another chance on it. Proximity to the boy would only tempt him and lead to more despair for all of them.

He heard a soft knock on the door and knew that it had to be the Daroga with one of his lectures on civility. He was not really in the mood for it but knew that he never would be.

"Come in." he told him impatiently. After the Persian entered he said "Have our guests settled in?"

"Yes, of course, I gave the boy a room near the music room. He has inherited your love of music so I thought that it would be a good place for him. He has already taken your violin up there and is currently teaching himself to play it. If the boy will remain here on a long term basis you should finally get a piano for the room, so he can play. Apparently the boy plays the piano quite well and can even compose his own songs. Much like you." The Daroga told him trying to interest him.

"Your ploy to make me bond with the child will not work, doostam. I will not have anything more to do with the boy other than protect him from the fop's enemies. It is clear that he has no use for me, and it is better that way. I have told you repeatedly that I would make a terrible father and yet you persist in disagreeing with me. " He stated firmly.

"Why did you let the boy stay, to begin with, if you plan on ignoring him?" Nadir asked.

"Because I do not trust that nanny of his, and I do not believe that the Inspecteur is competent. He should have protected Christine and the boy better. When they plotted my downfall, Monsieur le Inspecteur had an opera house full of men, yet he could not even catch me" Erik observed contemptuously.

"You blame him for failing to capture you?" Nadir asked incredulously. "I should think that you would be grateful that he did not do so."

Erik laughed bitterly "His incompetence has only prolonged my wretched existence. I see no need to thank him for that."

"If you are so unhappy Erik, why do you bother to remain on this earth, why not just kill yourself and spare yourself the burden of living?" Nadir queried sarcastically.

"I must be punished for my crimes. People have died at my hands Daroga, innocents. I deserve nothing put pain for what I have done in the past, no respite." He told his friend sadly.

"Erik, you have made an art of suffering. Perhaps I should have left you in France for de la Croix to find you and let you feel the kiss of Madame Guillotine. You would have spared me and Darius a lot of work trying to keep you alive; if you can characterize your current existence as life." The Persian insisted.

"What do you want from me, Daroga? Whatever it is, I am not sure that I am capable of giving it or receiving it." Erik told him in anger and self- pity.

"There lies the crux of our problem Erik; you cannot see that you are wasting the many important gifts that Allah, in his infinite wisdom, bestowed upon you." The Daroga admonished.

Erik angrily tore off his prosthetic face and wig revealing his deformed face to him "You mean this gift?" He spat bitterly "The face of a corpse? Your Allah has given me a fine gift Daroga; the face of Asto Vidatu, the demon of death." He laughed hysterically. "Your people called me that name among many other equally terrible ones. They feared me as they feared no other. The gypsies had a name for me as well, Mullo. They believed that I was a living ghoul that wished to wander the world doing malicious things to others. They would not release me from my cage for fear that I would harm them with my evil magic. They amused themselves by making me suffer. Yet, you have the audacity to call my life a gift? Even you couldn't bear to look at this monstrosity when we first met."

"But I have long since grown to treasure it as the face of my closest friend." Nadir told him. "It does not define who you really are Erik, not at all. Your face might be distorted but your soul is pure and kindly."

"That's not what she said. Not then. She told me that my soul was distorted." Erik averred. "She was right."

"Yet she came to you later and gave herself to you. She loved you as you loved her. Your son is a result of that love, Erik; conceived in love and hope for the future. This bitterness that now has did not always define you, not then. You have only chosen it as a new sort of mask to hide your face from the world so that they might never find you or hurt you again." Nadir told him.

"That love is dead Daroga, as is my Christine. It died long before she did; when my hope turned to ashes in the ruins of the Opera Populaire. I could not subject her to this horror any more than I would subject the boy to it. He is better off if I stay in the background and watch from afar. He has already told me that he wants nothing to do with me. The blasted fop was his father not me."

"I am saddened to hear you say that Erik. I remember a time when all that you ever wanted was for someone who would need you and love you for yourself. The boy has no one left but you in the world. He is alone and afraid of what he must face. He speaks out but as a child does. If you were to go to him he might come to see you as a father to him or at least a friend. You are the adult and are supposedly wiser than he is. Why not give him a chance to know you? You were terribly lonely once when you took his mother under your wing, as was she and she was a stranger's child, yet you helped her through her pain and grief. Why can't you do the same for the boy when he is your blood?" The Persian pleaded.

"Because he is my own flesh and blood Daroga? That has never been a deterrent to my parents rejecting me in the past and it wouldn't deter this boy from doing the same. Why should I give him the chance to do it to me? Really Daroga, I know that you do this with the best of intentions but I am growing angry with you at not understanding what my position is. Please go and leave me alone before I do something that we both will regret. My patience is growing thin." He told his friend blackly.

The Daroga did as he was told, slamming the door behind him, leaving Erik to think about his past.

_July 17, 1856__** Rennes Bretagne, France**_

_**Erik was seven years old, but he had never seen the light of day. He had been locked in what had been the dungeons of his parent's Chateau from the day that he was born. He could occasionally hear the laughter of his brother and sister who were allowed to live in the light but he knew nothing of laughter or kindness or love or even pity. He simply existed in his own world with only a kindly blind servant to take care of his needs. As far as his parents were concerned he was dead. There was a place in the family tree marked Erik birthdate and a space inclosed by brackets as if they were simply waiting patiently to fill in his date of death. He would never see his parents or siblings either. They ignored his existence completely. He was provided with books and taught himself how to read and write at a young age. His thirst for knowledge was insatiable. He did not understand why he could not be part of the family upstairs. His nanny had not explained to him that he was different from anyone just that he had to stay downstairs and out of trouble. **_

"_**You are lucky that your parents have the means to keep you in such luxury young master. If you were a village child you would have been killed at birth. Your parents would not do that." She told him.**_

"_**Why? I don't understand what makes me different from everyone else, from my brother and sister? I can hear them sometimes having a good time and playing together. I hear them playing the piano and other instruments. Why must I stay here?" he asked.**_

_**She smiled at him sadly "I have never seen your face, because I am blind, but I know that your face is deformed on the right side."**_

"_**What does deformed mean?" He asked.**_

"_**It means that it is very ugly, from what I have been told it is very bad, the worst that anyone has ever seen. People would fear you if they saw you. Your parents keep you hidden for your own safety."**_

"_**Even if it is for my own safety then why doesn't anyone ever visit me? Why do I only see you?" the boy asked.**_

"_**Try to forgive them, child, you are a good boy, but they cannot stand to gaze upon you either. You were your parents first born, but your face is terrible to behold; so terrible that only I could dare attend to you, everyone else was terrified, even your mother. She tried to solve the problem by giving you a mask to wear, but you kept taking it off and they would see you yet again. Your brother and then your sister would cry and call you a monster. They finally furnished the old apartments in the cellar of this Chateau for your use, and yours alone. You should see how most people live; these are very nice compared to what a peasant would have." She told him.**_

"_**When will they let me leave here? They cannot expect me to stay here for the rest of my life, all alone with no one but you to talk to. No offense, you are very kind to me but I would go mad for the lack of company." He told her insistently. "There must be somewhere that I could go where I could be accepted; someone who might care for me even if I look hideous. May I have a mirror at least to see what I look like; maybe I would understand it then?"**_

_**The old woman warned "You would not like what you see young master. I would not advise it. The other servants have told me that you look very terrible like the Nain or even the Ankou; both are fierce demons of death. I would not want to disturb you young master. There is no reason for you to be afraid of your own face. I tell them that they are just superstitious that there is no sweeter kinder child than you, but they will not believe me. They say that you have bewitched me with your beautiful voice."**_

"_**But if you have told me that I am ugly, I will not fear my own reflection. I have been warned about it. Please tell them to bring me a mirror. I need to see what they are afraid of. I need to see who I am. Please." He begged.**_

_**She finally acceded to his wish and the next day she brought him a hand mirror. He gazed upon his reflection for the first time and dropped it in despair. He felt his own face and head and knew that what he had seen was no false image but was his real reflection.**_

"_**My God." He exclaimed solemnly "Why did you give in to me? I am hideous. I am monster not a child."**_

_**The old lady looked at him sadly "No Erik, you are a good child. Do not believe that it is not true. I have been with you since the day that you were born and you have always been a good boy, the kindest child that I ever took care of."**_

_**Tears formed in his eyes "No you lied to me. I am horrible. A Nain hated by his own parents. I must leave this place someday to protect them from me. Perhaps I do have a demon inside of me."**_

"_**No child you do not. Never forget that you are a good person. Your face does not have to define you." she told him.**_

"_**Yet it does. It always will." Erik averred.**_

_**One day around a year later, he slipped out of his rooms into the world turning is back on his past forever. He walked as far as his young legs could carry him, continuing until he collapsed. He was starving but he did not care, if he died. What did it matter? But then he saw a light and walked towards it. He intended to scavenge for food. Suddenly he was seized and a lantern was flashed on his face. His captor gasped in surprise. The man did not speak to him but put an iron around his neck and chained him to a post. He heard him talking to others and the word Mullo was repeated over and over again. After a while they stripped his fine clothes from him and replaced them with only a loin cloth made of rough material, and then they threw him into a cage on wheels. A man spoke to him in broken French "You are the devils child, Mullo. You will perform for me, or I will kill you, but not before I hurt you."**_

_**From that point forward for the next five years, Erik performed as the Devil's child. He was seen by many but few were disturbed at the thought of a child being forced to live as an animal and perform every day and all day without a thought to his well -being. Despite all his privations Erik grew to be a strong and tall man. One day he was able to escape from his cage. It was then that he met Antoinette Giry, who showed him the catacombs beneath the opera house and offered to let him stay there but he chose instead to leave. For a few years he wandered the world looking for a better place to call home. For a time he called Persia home and grew to great wealth and power but the Shah used him to torture and murder his enemies.**_

_**After a time he grew tired of his assigned role and rebelled. Nadir and Darius helped him escape and followed him back to France to keep an eye on him. He returned to Paris even more bitter and hateful towards mankind. He lived on the Rue de Tivoli with Nadir and Darius for a year or so, but could not stand the stares of the Parisians as he wandered around. He finally remembered the catacombs and decided to make them his home. He renewed his acquaintance with Antoinette, to Nadir's disapproval he built a home there and buried himself. He kept away from the world with the exception of his three friends, until he met a lonely young girl Christine Daae, who he took under his wing and tutored until, unexpectedly, he fell in love with her. It was that uncontrollable emotion that led him to take actions that he never would have taken otherwise, if Christine's rejection and betrayal of him had not driven him over the edge of his sanity. Love was not an acceptable emotion for him to have, it never would be.**_

Nothing good ever came from his attempts to love someone Erik thought to himself. There is no point in trying. My own flesh and blood could not love me as a child. Why would a child care for me as a man? A child who already loved my greatest enemy, as a son loved a father. Nadir would never convince me otherwise no matter how hard he tried to get me to bend. It was pointless.

Erik looked at his hideous face in the mirror examining it in shame. It had not grown less hideous with the passing years. His right side was bloated and red and blue like a corpse. His head was crowned with a few unhealthy strands of greying hair. In parts it looked as if his scalp and face had been partially lifted on the right side and forehead and then left on to rot. He looked away in disgust, as he always did. He smiled to himself as he thought of the boy. He was reminded him of the way his brother had looked. Several months before Erik had run away, his brother, Henri, had stolen his way into the cellar and played with Erik for a little while. By then Erik had seen his own face, and wanted to wear a mask for his own sake, and his brother did not remember his former fear of him. His brother was named Henri and he had been a very nice child. They played for some time until their father found him and punished Henri for disobeying his instructions. He grabbed Erik and pulled off his mask revealing his hideousness to Henri. Henri gave him a terrified look and ran off screaming that the monster would get him. His father smiled cruelly, still not saying a word to Erik and left him there to cry.

A short time later a servant returned and added a bolt on the inside of the door so no one could enter. Erik never knew what became of his brother or sister. He supposed that they both lived a happy life in Brittany and did not even remember their unfortunate brother. Perhaps they filled in the date in the family bible with the year that he had run away. Who knew or cared? They would never claim a monster such as him as their brother anyhow, just as Gustave would not want or need him to act as a father to him. It was the same with almost everyone that Erik met. One look was all that they needed to decide that he was not human enough to be claimed by anyone as a friend or acquaintance. Rejection and hatred was all that he ever had known. Gustave was just one more person who did not want him. He could not afford to care. It had been a long time since he had desired to even try to stake a membership in the community of man. How could Nadir still fail to understand that he had hidden himself away not out of choice, but out of necessity? If his face had been different he would have gladly interacted with his fellow man. He was not a loner by nature but had long since learned that it was the only option for him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Three months went by and despite attempts at coaxing him out, by both Darius and Nadir; Erik remained a non-entity in the boy's life. Erik was in deep mourning over Christine, and did not want to risk having a relationship with the boy, especially after the boy had rejected him. For Gustave, if he didn't know any better, he would have sworn that his so-called father did not really exist. The man had truly vanished like a ghost. He did not really mean what he had said to him, it was just that he was a little bit afraid of him. He was so tall, mysterious and most of all, intimidating. He did not seem like a person that you could hunt or fish with like Pere. He didn't see that he could do anything with such a man. Nadir kept telling him that he was a good person but how could he know that he was when he wasn't around? Simone had told him about the Phantom of the Opera, and how he killed people, how he almost killed Pere. If this man was him then he was not a man at all but a monster. He did not want to be the son of a monster, no matter how well that the monster could protect him. Who would protect him from this strange creature?

When he found out that he was Maman's Angel of Music he softened. He might have reconsidered his earlier feelings; but then when he was told that he was his real father; it was too much for him to bear. The one person, who he admired more than anyone in the world, was not his father after all. He had been so proud to be a de Chagny, the scion of an old and illustrious family. This new revelation meant that he was nothing, just the bastard son of a monster. His whole life had been a lie. He was confused and angry but he also felt so lonely.

To make up for the absence of his guardian Nadir and Darius would try to entertain Gustave. They took him into town and bought him music for the violin. They tried to coax Erik into teaching the boy how to play, but Erik remained disinterested in the child. He told them that the boy could teach himself just as he had, and that it would provide him with some amusement. Instead of trying to get to know the boy, the former Phantom spent much time in his workshop which was away from the house in his own private area of the estate. Nadir and Darius knew better than to show anyone that place, even Gustave. It was Erik's private sanctum, where he created his marvelous inventions and worked on other projects as well. Erik welcomed no one to his sanctuary; it was where he went to pass the time of his empty life. It was his refuge from the tedium that his self-imposed exile had created.

So the time passed with both father and son feeling a deep and terrible loneliness but neither one of them wanting to take any steps to end it. Erik could not, out of fear of further rejection, and Gustave, out of fear of the monster that was said to be his father. They both exhibited the same stubbornness, and it seemed that the vast gulf dividing them from one another would never be bridged. Erik would watch Gustave from afar and could see that he was indeed a curious child. He was no stranger to lurking in the shadows and watching others. Gustave could sense that someone was watching him, but it didn't make him fear his father any less. But a child left alone in a strange place, with only a nanny and two foreign men would inevitably began to explore his environment. His curiosity could not be contained forever. When it finally blossomed, it overcame any fear that he had for the unknown. He had not explored the large building that looked like a barn in the back. He was told to stay away from it but that only drew him to it more. He wanted to know what was inside of it. Despite the fact that Erik would tinker and then destroy many of his inventions, he would retain those that he found the most interesting. He had had many years to construct his wonders that he had no intention of ever sharing with a world that deemed him a monster.

One morning in June, Erik was putting the finishing touches on a horseless carriage. It employed an electric motor which Erik had built from scratch using his own design but ordering the necessary parts from Germany. He had spent several hours starting it and stopping it, but to; Erik's frustration it still sounded a little off to his well attuned ears. He cursed loudly and threw a wrench against the wall which made a loud bang. Then he took a break to collect his thoughts and work on his project once more. He lost sight of the time, and it didn't much matter anyhow. He had nowhere to be, and few to care about him if he did. Suddenly he heard the door to his sanctum open. He had placed a bell there that would ring if anyone dared to enter. He stopped what he was doing immediately and to his dismay the boy was standing there staring at him and his inventions. His mouth was agape in wonderment. Gustave had never seen such an amazing room with such wondrous things in it. Suddenly he froze, like an animal that had been caught by a predator. He saw his terrifying father's piercing eyes burn him with the heat of his angry gaze. His heart throbbed in terror as he saw his father's face contort with rage.

Erik quickly grabbed his cloak and donned it over his denim overalls that he wore to work on his inventions. He pulled the hood over his face obscuring himself from the boy. He was relieved that he had chosen to wear his prosthesis; many times he did not because it was more comfortable not to do so but that day he had.

"What are you doing here boy?" He screamed "Didn't anyone tell you that this place is off limits to everyone even Nadir? Yet here you are."

The boy stepped backwards taken aback by his rage. "I am sorry sir, I was bored and only wanted to see what was here. I did not mean to bother you."

"Didn't _your sainted father_ teach you never to come into a place without knocking?" Erik asked irritably. "I would expect that a proud scion of the de Chagny family would have impeccable manners. Yet here you are disturbing me!"

"I did knock sir, but you did not answer. Perhaps you did not hear me, your device is very loud." He replied tearfully. "I am sorry. I will leave you." he turned quickly to leave.

Erik felt his anger fly away. The boy really did mean no harm. It was not his fault that he was a curious child. He might have done the same at such an age, if he were not locked away in a cage and chained like an animal.

"Wait boy. You may stay. I did not mean to get so angry at you. I was just frustrated with my motor. You may come closer." He told him more kindly.

"It's alright sir, I will leave you just as you said." He stuttered timidly, backing away in fear.

Erik sighed. He did not want the boy to think of him as an ogre. He wanted the boy to keep away from him but not hate him. "You might as well take a look at what I am making here." Erik beckoned to him. "Come forward, I will not harm you.'

The boy looked scared, but his curiosity won out. "What is it?" he asked.

"A horseless carriage." Erik replied "It is a new technology that will someday change the world. Would you like to see it?"

The boy stepped forward, losing some of his fear. "Very much so sir."

The boy came over and reached out to touch it. He could not help but to be impressed "It is amazing sir. Did you make it yourself?"

"Yes and no boy, I read about similar vehicles in Detroit, Cleveland and even in France and Germany. I ordered most of the parts from a man in Germany named Mr. Benz. I have crafted a few of my own to create this vehicle. I have been working on it for almost a year and it is finally ready to go." He told him.

The boy stepped around it. "How fast will it go?"

"Mine is faster than most, the average one goes no faster than thirty-two kilometers per hour, but I think that I can tinker with the settings to get it to do fifty, as soon as I can get the last kinks out of the engine. " he told Gustave proudly. "Do you like to build things Gustave?" he asked.

"Yes, but not like this. I don't know anyone who could build such a thing. You are a genius sir." He told Erik.

Erik let out a melodious laugh "I have been told that before, little Vicomte."

"Please don't call me that sir, I prefer Gustave." He told Erik quietly.

"I am sorry Gustave. I have little experience with people. We don't exactly get along well." He admitted with a touch of melancholy.

"Why do you hide? Why do you never come out and see anyone other than Darius or Nadir?" the boy asked.

Erik laughed bitterly "You are so eager to spend time with me? If so, you hide it well. From my point of view you appear to be afraid of me; as if I would harm my own son. You have shown me from the beginning that you have no interest in me. You are still afraid of me; I can see you tremble in fear even now. "

"I am trying not to be. I am sorry for what I said that day, really I am. I didn't mean it." Gustave told him apologetically.

"It doesn't matter Gustave. You were right I could not hope to replace your father. It is pointless to try. I have found that it is better if I keep to myself. I have learned from past experience that any attempt to befriend a person has led to heartbreak for me and unpleasantness for them. You are better off with me in the background. You may think that I have not noticed you, but I am there. I do protect you, just as your mother asked me to do." He admitted softly.

"You loved my mother?" The boy asked almost as a statement of fact.

"With all of my heart, Gustave but it was not enough." Erik replied morosely.

"Then why did you leave her?" he asked. "If you are really my father then why didn't you stay with us?"

"I didn't know about you, but I left your mother because I could not offer her the life that she deserved. I was ashamed of who I had been. Your father was supposed to provide her with a home, with love and safety. Have you ever been given a gift that you would love to keep because it is exactly what you want and what you need, but you knew that the gift was not meant for you? That in keeping it, you would be destroying it?" he asked pointedly.

"No sir. If I received a gift that I wanted I would be happy to keep it and make use of it." He replied.

"I see." Erik told him. "Spoken like a member of the privileged class. Well I guess that I cannot explain my reasons to you very well. You have no basis for comparison, something which I am glad of. It means that you have not suffered greatly in your life but have been well loved; something that I have never had." He added.

"Was my mother this gift that you refer to?" Gustave asked thoughtfully.

"Yes boy. She was an exquisite gift, the only present that I ever had in my entire life, but I couldn't accept it, for her sake." Erik revealed.

"Why could you not provide for her? You seem to be doing very well here. I have heard that you are very rich." The boy queried. "They are very curious about you in town. They say that you own much of it."

Erik told him "I was not so fortunate at the time. It took a lot of time, and effort for me to achieve my current wealth. When I let your mother go, I was a wanted fugitive, if I had been caught I would have been executed and I deserved that fate. I was a criminal, no better than any other cutthroat."

"Yet my mother cared about you." the boy mused.

"She and I shared a special bond. After she came to me and forgave me for my crimes she changed me for the better. I could not remain the man that I had become. I wanted to be different, be better; be someone that she could be proud of, even though I knew that I would never see her again." Erik admitted.

"You were that monster that Simone spoke of weren't you? The man who kidnapped Maman and tried to kill papa?" the boy queried.

"Yes, I was once the Phantom of the Opera, and yes I tried to kill the Vicomte, but I didn't, I let him go." Erik told him.

"If you are he then why would Papa trust you with me? And Maman too? I don't understand. Many in France blame you for their deaths. They ask who else could have done such a thing. I have heard these rumors, and yet Pierre brought me here at my parent's behest." The boy asked. Erik could see that he was still afraid. The boy stepped away and looked ready to run.

"Because they knew that I would never harm you or your mother, but that I had a unique ability to protect you, and I will do so." Erik replied. "I would give my own life to keep you safe which is why even your father entrusted you to me. You don't have to be afraid of me."

"But they say that you are a monster. That you have no face, only a flaming skull." The boy replied backing away even more. "You cannot be my father if you are he. How could it be?"

Erik laughed melodiously "I am only a man, not a monster. Monsters do not exist, at least not ones such as Vampires or Frankenstein. I am however very hideous on one side of my face. It is a face that would cause you nightmares to gaze upon; which is why I wear a prosthesis to hide it, along with a wig and robes. We are both very lucky that you did not happen upon this place while I was not wearing it. Often times I do not do so in this place because it is my private domain, where I can work in peace. It is why I was so angry when you came in here unannounced."

"Would you show me what you really look like? Please? I need proof that you are not a monster." The boy asked nervously.

"I am afraid, my boy, that if you were to see my face that you may decree it otherwise. Few have been able to stomach it, even I have difficulty looking in a mirror, and I cannot escape from it ever." Erik replied gently.

"Please sir, show me. I promise not to be afraid, as long as your face is not a flaming skull." Gustave pleaded. "I just need to see who you really are. Perhaps then I would not be afraid of you any longer."

"You cannot promise what is natural boy, I myself screamed the first time that I saw it. It was the one mercy that my parents allowed me, which was the ability not to see myself ever. It was my caretaker who first showed me. She was blind, and like you now, I begged her to give me a mirror. When she finally agreed I was sorry that I had done so. You would be sorry, no matter how prettily that you may beg me." Erik told him.

"Please sir, if I am really your son you must show me. I need to understand why Maman would have loved you. She always taught me to look beyond the surface of a person and look into his heart instead. She told me that she had once made a terrible mistake and misunderstood someone who she loved just because of how he looked. I think that the person that she was talking about is you, if you are my father." Gustave added.

"You are asking a lot from me boy, more than I am prepared to give. If you see my face you might be tempted to flee from me, and not accept my protection. Even if we do not really know one another you are my own flesh and blood and I do not want to put you in danger." Erik replied but he was beginning to waver. The boy was afraid of him anyhow. He looked as if he was ready to run away but he was trying to put on a brave face.

"You have my word that I will not run away." Gustave pleaded. "I know that you will not hurt me. I just need to see what you really look like. I am your son. Don't you think that I should know what you look like?"

Erik looked at him in resignation. In the end what difference did it make? He thought sadly. The boy will be afraid either way. He swallowed his fear and decided to show Gustave his face. He remembered long ago that Christine had once told him that if he had shown her his face sooner that perhaps she would not have reacted so badly. Perhaps he could heed her advice and warn him.

"Alright boy, you win if you want to call it that. I will show you but you must promise me that you will be very brave. Remember I am made of the same things that you are, even there. It is all skin and bone and nothing more. Can you do that?" he asked.

"Yes, I know that I can." The boy replied solemnly. "I give you my word of honor."

Erik smiled "And a Vicomte's word is his bond. Prettily spoken boy, but you cannot really promise me that. You will likely run from me in terror, even though I would not harm you."

Erik knelt down on the floor to be at eye level with the boy, and lowered his hood to reveal his prosthetic. His aqua eyes were clouded in fear at what he was about to do. No one had ever reacted to an unmasking with anything short of fear and revulsion, not even Nadir; but now he was showing his face to his own son. He knew that in a moment he would be crushed once again. The boy would never come near him; never accept his monstrosity of a face or any part of him. He slowly removed his prosthetic while looking down in shame, afraid to look at the boy's face to see his reaction. To his credit the boy did swallow his revulsion and did not scream, just as he promised. Erik slowly raised up his eyes to look into his son's face.

"Ddd…oess it hurt?" the boy asked tentatively. Erik could see the boy struggling to cap his fear.

"No child, it does not hurt. It is as much my face as yours belongs to you. The only thing that hurts me is how others view it. It is why I keep to the shadows and do not seek people out." He admitted Gustave softly; his rich voice did much to soothe the boy's nerves.

"That is very sad sir. But your pros...te..I cannot pronounce it, makes your face look like everyone else's, or at least almost does. Couldn't you just wear that and come out and see people? It must be terribly lonely for you to be all alone most of the time. May I touch your face?" Gustave pleaded.

Erik looked at him in surprise "You want to touch it?…nobody has ever wanted to do so except for your mother and that was only much later after she knew me."

"I want to feel for myself that it is what you say that it is: skin and bones. I can only believe you if I touch it." The boy admitted. "I do not want to be afraid of you."

Erik swallowed both his fear and his tears "Go ahead you may touch it. You will see that it is what I say that it is nothing more. You are a most unusual child to want to do so."

The boy approached him and reached out, gently caressing Erik's face. Erik instinctively flinched at the unusual sensation most people who had touched him in the past wanted only to do him harm. Gustave just explored it quietly, but completely. Erik tried to remain outwardly calm as he did so, but it was not easy to retain his composure. He kept expecting the boy to scream and run away despite his assurances otherwise.

"It is as you say sir, just skin and bones." He said in amazement. "You are no monster, just a man." He added as if pronouncing judgment on him.

"A very ugly man." Erik retorted with an edge of bitterness to his voice.

"Only on one side, on the other side you are quite handsome almost as handsome as my father was. I could get used to your bad side, if you showed it to me often. My father always told me that I was a very brave boy. I know that I could brave seeing your face and while it is as ugly as you say, I am not afraid of it. I used to think that spiders looked scary but Papa told me that they are good for us. They eat other insects so they actually help us. I wasn't afraid of them after that."

Erik laughed "I am not sure that I have ever been compared to a spider before, but if it helps you to think of me as harmless, I guess that it is a good thing." Erik became more serious "Tell me the truth Gustave, do you like it here? I have seen you crying when the others are not around."

"I miss my parent's sir and my friends. My papa took me everywhere with him whenever he could, and Maman used to sing to me every night and hug me close and tell me stories of the North, and other tales that she said came from her angel. I suppose that they were your stories since you were her angel. I never thought about that until now." The boy told him.

"Is that so? What else did she do with you?" Erik was dying to learn anything about Christine even if she were gone.

"She would sing to me as well, and her voice was so beautiful. Sometimes she would look very sad and distant, as if she were in another place, when she sang, Monsieur. Her eyes would glaze over and her voice would crack and she would cry. I would ask her what was wrong and she told me that she missed someone who was very dear to her. She would only sing for me and no one else. She said that when her angel left that he took her voice with him but I just think that she was too sad that you were gone to sing."

"We used to sing together when she was your age." Erik told him somberly. "We would trade stories in the dark. I would tell her about my adventures in the east and she would tell me her Swedish folk tales. She missed Sweden a lot as a girl, but she got used to living in France as she got older."

"She would tell me about all of the snow there and the long winter nights and summer days. She promised to take me there someday to see the place where she lived, and to meet my cousins and family there. Papa's family would have nothing to do with us. They did not approve of Maman because she was not of noble blood, but Maman was beautiful. Papa always told me that."

"That is one of the few things that your papa and I ever did agree on Gustave. He and I were enemies not friends." Erik told him.

"Yes, but even so, why did you try to kill him? Why did you kill other people? Don't you know that to kill is wrong? It is in the Ten Commandments."

Erik looked away "I know that now child, which is another reason that I keep myself far from other people. For many years my life was horrible. I was beaten and caged and displayed in front of the world like an animal, but worse, because I was forced to endure terrible things. I had to fight to survive, yet a part of me prayed for death because it would have been better than how I could live. A small part of me still hoped that I could escape and run far away to some place where they would treat me kindly and accept me for whom I was; but it was not to be, there is no such place. I was hated everywhere no matter where I went, because my face was always with me. By the time that I met your mother, I was mistrustful and dangerous and I lashed out at whoever I came in contact with. I had never been loved by anyone so I did not know what it meant to love until your mother changed me. I am not that man anymore but I still keep away from people."

"It sounds like you have had a very hard and sad life, sir. Still, even if some people were unkind to you, you are not hated by everyone. Nadir and Darius are both your friends and Maman too. Why don't you go out and see if others might like you? Perhaps if you did you wouldn't look so sad." Gustave asked him thoughtfully.

Erik ignored the boy's question and asked one of his own "I have a question for you boy, why are you not running away from me in terror? I have admitted to you that I am a bad man. You have heard that as well."

"I didn't remember until just now but Maman, right before the last time that I saw her, told me to trust no one but the ghost who became a man, who was also her angel of music. She reminded me that her father sent you to her to watch over her and keep her safe. She said that no matter what people tell me, especially you, that you are a good and handsome man underneath and to trust you. She also told me to tell you that she had remembered all that you had taught her and that someday you would meet again in the place where your dreams began." The boy told him.

"That is a pleasant thought boy, but I am afraid that I am bound for hell, not heaven." Erik told him.

"Do you miss Maman?" Gustave asked.

"Of course child, how could I not? She was the love of my life. There will never be another like her for me." Erik replied. His eyes misted in tears.

"Me too, sir." Gustave told him tearfully. "Would you hug me? Maman and Papa would do so all of the time. No one has hugged me in a long time. I am trying to be brave and be a man, but it is hard sometimes." He admitted.

Erik gave him a peculiar look, no one but Christine had ever wanted to hug him before. He was hideous. Surely, the boy did not realize what he was requesting.

"I don't think that you really want that son." Erik told him "You have seen my face. You know that I have murdered people. You are acting rashly."

The boy looked at him with a hurt expression "I thought that you and I could comfort one another since we both loved Maman, but I guess that I was wrong; you don't need comforting. I will go." He turned away.

"No, wait, please. I would really like to. I was thinking to spare you from acting rashly. No one has ever wanted to hug me, with the exception of your mother and even she did not do so until the end. I would love to do so if you still would like to." Erik pleaded.

The boy turned towards him "If you are truly my father then why wouldn't I hug you? Maman told me not to be afraid of you, and you have pledged to keep me safe. I have already touched your face, and it is just as you said it was skin and bones. So what if you are ugly there? It doesn't make you less deserving of a hug than anyone else. That's what family and friends do for one another hug."

Erik laughed "Is that what we are now, family? Or are we just friends?"

"Can we be both? I have been lonely here. I would love to help you with your inventions and maybe you could be my angel of music, like you were for Maman. I love to compose songs on the piano and Maman told me that you did as well. You will never take Papa's place in my heart, but I have had time to think more clearly and there is no reason why I couldn't love you as well. Maman loved both you and Papa. I guess that I could be like her."

Erik began to weep and told him softly "I would be anything that you ask of me my son. I would be your angel, father or even just your friend whatever you need."

"I just don't want to feel so alone and empty anymore, sir. Do you understand?" Gustave asked him.

"Of course I understand. I feel the same way son. I have never had anyone who wanted me for any reason, not until now." Erik stepped forward and embraced his son. For a time, they hugged one another neither one of them daring to be the first to let go.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When they were finished hugging, Erik let Gustave look over the car. He was astonished by it. Gustave then begged to see what other marvels that Erik had made in his lab. Erik showed the boy some of them, even letting him keep a small automaton as a toy. He took him around his lab and showed him each of his inventions.

Gustave was visibly impressed. "You really are a wizard of sorts. I have never seen so many wonders in one place. I hope that you will let me spend some time here with you learning how to make things like these."

Erik smiled "Of course I would like that, but I frequently work without my Prosthetic face. I need to have complete visual acuity to avoid injury. Are you sure that you could stand looking at it for so long?"

"I am looking at it now and I have already told you that it does not bother me. As you said you are made of the same materials as anyone else. It is not your fault if you look a little bit different. Could we design and build something together?" Gustave asked.

"Certainly whatever you would like." He pointed to a pile of scrap metal. "Perhaps you could start by helping me organize these we might be able to reuse some of these. I have been meaning to sort them by myself but have been busy with my horseless carriage." Erik told him.

"What are they from? Why did you scrap them?" Gustave asked.

Erik told him "They are the remains of all sorts of devices that I have worked on over the years, such as a device that uses radio waves to transmit music, a camera that lets you take a photo in less than a minute and a prototype for a flying machine. I scrap most of them after I finish. I make them to pass the time, now that I have given up my music. When they are complete I take them apart."

"Did they work?" The boy asked curiously.

"Of course they worked, Gustave, I do not stop until they work perfectly. It is not my way to waste time on useless things." Erik told him.

"Then why do you take them apart? Surely you could sell them and make a lot of money, like Mr. Edison." Gustave asked.

Erik shrugged dismissively "I have no need for money, Gustave. I have more than enough money for you, your children and even their children to live on. When I was young I dreamt that I could change the world for the better with the many innovations which clutter my mind. I spent much of my youth looking for a place where they would accept me and let me work in peace, despite my monstrous face. To my horror I realized that there was no such place for me. Wherever I went I found only hatred and fear directed towards me. I know now that humanity will always force me to remain in the darkness as an outcast. There is no place for me in their world, so I see no point to sharing mine. In the past, particularly in Persia, those that deigned to use my devices used them only to do harm to one another, or to feed their own greed. I intended them to be used for good, but was forced to twist them into something bad. I do not intend on giving anyone such power again."

"I am sorry that you have been rejected but wouldn't these marvels help you gain acceptance?" The boy asked.

"It doesn't matter to me as it once did, but that was long ago when I still hoped to find acceptance and love. I no longer care about either anymore. In my experience to covet such things has led me only to grief. I only live to punish myself for my sordid past." Erik told him sadly.

"But I am here now. I will accept you, and I could love you too." Gustave told him.

"I will love you and protect you, but eventually you must leave me. I bring nothing but suffering to anyone that I care about. I would not want to bring such to you. When it is safe for you to do so, I will find you a proper family to live with so that you can live a normal life. You could never live a normal life with me in it." Erik told him.

"But why would I leave you? You are my real father. We have just found one another." Gustave felt hurt and rejected by Erik's words.

Erik looked at him sadly "I am not fit to raise you, son. I am a murderer and a monster. You said it yourself on the day that we met that only Raoul de Chagny could ever be your father. If I kept you, you would grow to hate me as everyone else does. I have family in France who might take you if they knew of you. I have a brother and a sister. They live in Bretagne. They might be persuaded to look after you with the proper incentive. Perhaps they have children, so you could have brothers or sisters to play with. I have not seen them since I was a child but I am sure that they would treat you well. You are a well behaved and handsome child."

The boy grew angry; feeling rejected "Why wait if you want to get rid of me? Just do it now. You are right you are a terrible father, the worst ever. You don't have to bother with me." he told him tearfully.

He stormed out of the room and went back to the house, Erik followed closely behind him. When they entered the dwelling, Erik sent Darius to find Simone to take care of the boy. Nadir and Darius had been shocked to see them come in together. They had been trying to get Erik to spend some time with the boy since he had arrived; but Erik had stubbornly insisted that as soon as the threat to the boy was over that he would send him back to France and find him a guardian who was better suited than he was to raise a child.

Nadir told Erik pleasantly "I am surprised to see you together; you have been sulking about ever since he arrived. I am pleased that you came to your senses. But what did you say to upset the boy?"

"The boy interrupted me. He was bored and needed some stimulation, apparently he finds all of you to be lacking in useful diversions for a seven year old child. Perhaps we should hire a tutor to instruct him in matters that a young Vicomte should learn." Erik told him dryly.

"Why don't you teach him yourself, you are very well versed in most subjects and it would be a way of bonding with the boy? He appears to have your intelligence, without your inability to get along with others." Nadir observed.

"I intend on spending some time with him but do not want to bond with the boy too much. It would only make it harder for me to let him go when the inevitable happens and he leaves me. The boy should not have to share my fate and stay up here on this mountain isolated from the rest of the world. Someday soon, he will want to be with other children, and live like a normal child in the real world. It would be unfair to the boy to remain up here with me forever." Erik told him. "The boy is upset because I told him of my plan. He doesn't understand that it is best if I find a better situation for him, one where he would have a real family."

"Why let the boy go? Why don't we all leave this place and go back to a real city, even Paris, and live among people again. You have perfected your prosthesis and yet you are more isolated than ever. No one would even have to know that you were once the Phantom of the Opera. You are wealthy and still only in your early forties, yet you act like your life is over. Be the man that you were meant to be and start living once more. I do not understand this need to make yourself miserable" Nadir averred in frustration. He had tried to get Erik to go back into the world forever. He had not left the property in many years.

"You have a lot of nerve to ask me why Daroga. What would be the point of setting us up for tragedy? In the past I wanted only to find a woman to love me, but it is an impossible dream for me. I would have to remove my prosthesis at some point, if I was to pursue a woman and then she would run as fast as she could in the other direction. Even Christine ran from my face when she saw it, and I had been her friend and guardian for almost ten years, yet still she was afraid of me. There is no point for me to live among humanity, no matter how I might try to look like a human; I will always be hideous just below the surface." Erik told him.

They had had the same argument hundreds of times over the years and it always ended the same way. Both Erik's heart and soul had been broken too deeply for him to risk it happening again. He was unwilling to risk what remained of them again. It was not the first time that Nadir cursed Christine for the events at the opera house. If she had only accepted Erik in the beginning, their love might have stood a chance to live, but she had denied him and betrayed him several times. Even when she had seemed to change her mind, Erik had been brought so low that he would not allow her to share his dark fate. He had decided that he was not good enough to have a happy ending to his life. Nadir remembered how Erik had once been as a young man, before he had brought him to Persia, before they had fled to Paris. He had still not given up on mankind even with his own horrific treatment by the gypsies. He had believed that he would find a place somewhere where he could be accepted for his many talents. After Paris he decided that he never would be.

_On the ship to America a despondent Erik told him "Christine wanted to come with us, but I left her to be with her boy. She is too good to be subjected to a monster such as me. I would destroy the very thing that binds us together her goodness and innocence. It is reflected in her voice, it defines it. To keep her with me would debauch her. I would bring her down to my level and ruin her. She would have grown unhappy with me and missed her boy. Leaving her behind was the only unselfish thing that I have ever done." _

"_Erik, if this is true then she was not the right girl for you. But you should not give up on the world forever. It is wrong to give up just because you have not found your place yet. Perhaps it will be better in the New World where misfits from Europe have been coming to escape from the confines of the old. I heard that these Americans worship innovative people such as you who can provide them with wonders._"

_Erik looked at his friend and told him bitterly. "I will make enough money to buy a place far from the eyes of my fellow men. I will live out the rest of my days like a monk. You do not have to stay with me once we reach New York. I can head west on my own."_

"_I have dedicated my life to helping you, doostam. I owe you as much for bringing you to Persia, and for the many kindnesses that you have provided me. I will not let you die alone, as much as you would like to." Nadir told him stubbornly._

"_Then you have condemned yourself and Darius to being entombed with me. I shall never change my mind, and return to the world of man. I despise humanity and in return it despises me. If you choose to share my fate, it will be on your own conscience not mine for I have warned you." Erik told him bitterly._

His mind wandered back to the present "I will continue to try to bring you back into the world, doostam, as I have done for many years. As long as I have breath in my body I will do so. Allah has given me this task as penance for what I did to contribute to this attitude on your part. I will see it through. I hope that someday you will listen and open up your heart and your mind to let the light back into it. You believe yourself to be a creature of darkness, but I know differently doostam. You could be a light to the world if you could stop feeling sorry for yourself." Nadir told him.

Erik hissed bitterly "Do you forget who I really am. I am the Angel of Death, doostam. Shaytoon's own dark child, condemned to live in the shadows away from the community of man. Not even my own parents could accept me."

"No Erik, you are no such thing. You are a man like any other. You claim that you are not worthy of us but the reality is different. To you, the rest of us are unworthy of you. You arrogantly set yourself apart from the rest of humanity and complain about your cursed face. You say that it keeps you beneath us but the truth is that it is the opposite, you do not think that we are worthy of your love. That is why you destroy your inventions and never leave this place, even though you have perfected your prosthetic. That is also why you want to send the boy away. You no longer have that mask to hide behind, but it was never the mask that kept you apart from your fellow. It was your own hubris. If you are any sort of man, you will apologize to Gustave and tell him that he is welcome to remain with us forever."

Erik growled "If you were not my dearest friend I would silence you permanently for what you have just said to me, but I will overlook it this time. You try my patience with your misguided attempts at telling me how to handle my son. You are trying to turn one the most unselfish decisions that I have ever made into an abomination. You know, dear doostam, exactly who and what I am. You have seen me at my worst and you know damn well that I am a monster and not worthy of being a father. Even if the boy is now willing to accept me it does not change what I would subject him to. How can I let the boy waste his life living with a monster?"

"I see nothing of the sort. I see only a man who has put himself through unnecessary pain to protect himself from being hurt once again. The boy was ready to accept you and have a relationship with you and you threw it back in his face and hurt him, as you have been hurt. But the boy is innocent, he is not your parents or a gypsy, the Shah or even Christine he is your son, and he came to you to offer you his friendship and you threw it back at him at a time when he must be suffering over losing both of his parents. The only parents that he has ever known and you have given him nothing." Nadir told him his anger mounting.

Erik stormed out of his room angrily and locked himself into his suite. Nadir could hear the boy crying in his room and silently cursed his stubborn old friend. He was too wrapped up in his own pain and martyrdom to see how wrong that he was behaving. He remembered back in Paris when he tried to get Erik to realize that his behavior at the opera house was scaring Christine away. If he had listened back then, perhaps the boy would have already known him as his father. Christine might not have turned to the Vicomte to escape from him. Perhaps the two unfortunate deaths would not have occurred at the opera, and Christine and Erik would have remained in Paris. He knew that he could not tell his friend that, Erik might finally lose his temper completely and use his Punjab on him. Erik had come so far and yet could not control that darker side of him. How many years had Nadir prayed to Allah that Erik would finally see beyond the darkness inside of him and accept himself as a full-fledged man? Would he destroy Gustave as he had done with his great inventions? Or could he be made to see beyond his own hurt and find the man who is trapped inside him, held prisoner by his own pain and insecurities from his past?

Erik knew that his old friend was right; of course he wanted him to be so. For a moment he felt the stirrings of his old hope arise when the boy had accepted him even after seeing his cursed face. The boy seemed to signal that he was ready to allow Erik to become his father, but at the last moment Erik drew back, in his heart he realized that it could never be. No one could truly love a creature such as him. He was doing the boy a favor by leaving him alone. In time the boy might see that he was distancing himself out of love and selflessness, but then why did his decision feel so wrong? He could hear the boy wailing it matched his own tears. It reminded him of the same empathy that he once felt for Christine. For a time he was a comfort to her in the darkness. Perhaps the Daroga was right he should at least go in and apologize, and try to make him understand that he was thinking of Gustave's needs and not his own. He would love to let his inhibitions go and simply love the boy, but was it the right thing to do?

He reluctantly admitted to himself that he felt more alive, and less hollow, than he had in years. He dreaded the rebirth of these emotions that he had long suppressed just to keep his sanity. Love, hope and empathy were weaknesses for him. In the past these emotions had lead only to sorrow for all that they touched when they emanated from him. But he could feel his own insides burn with torment and he knew that he was too late. He did care about the boy and could not see him suffer. He was his own son, born of his love for the boy's mother. He could not turn his back on the boy, just as he could never resist his mother. He had to comfort him. If the boy would truly be upset to leave him, he would not have the heart to force him to do so.

His decision made, he steeled himself for rejection, but still gently rapped on the boy's door. He did not want to talk to the boy through walls like he had done with Christine. He wanted to get it right this time and behave as a normal man. The problem was that he was unsure as to how to approach him. He was not good with people. It had been years since he had to use any social skills to speak with someone. Nadir and Darius had put up with his gruffness and mood swings; they had little choice if they were to continue to live with him. No one had ever comforted him as a child or dried his tears, even his nanny had kept her distance she was kind to him, but never showed that she cared for him, truly cared for him in any way. He had comforted Christine successfully but it was her own father who had set him up for success. He did not have to come to her as a man, only as an angel and he could play that role well. Their relationship was based on that deception that he was not human. The boy knew differently about him, he had already pronounced him a man like everyone else.

The boy acknowledged Erik knock with a firm request that he go away.

"It is me, son. I would like to speak with you." Erik pleaded through the door.

"I don't want to see anyone, especially not you. You have made your intentions towards me perfectly clear. You want to send me to live far away from you, with strangers. You don't want me here, just like you did not want Maman."

Erik wanted to fix the boy, but it was easier to repair objects than relationships. He could make almost any inanimate object but a person's heart was hard to repair. His own heart had been broken so many times that it was beyond repair. Perhaps that was why Nadir was right, he was terribly broken, he did not know how to heal either himself or the child.

"Please Gustave" Erik implored using his voice. "I could speak to you through walls like I did your mother when she was your age, but surely you know that I am far from being an angel. I am not very astute at talking to people. I have not had much experience with it for a long time."

He heard the boy sigh and then he told Erik "Alright, you can come in, but I have little to say to you."

Erik gently opened the door. He could see that Gustave's eyes were reddened from tears he felt guilty that he had made the boy so unhappy. He needed to explain himself and do something to help the boy feel better. The boy looked at him defiantly.

Erik stumbled with what to say to him "Gustave, son I did not mean to hurt your feelings. I had only your best interests in mind when I said that perhaps I could find a family for you. Nothing in my life ever ends, uh well happily. I do not want you to share my fate."

"Perhaps if you treated people better they would be nicer to you." The boy retorted.

"That would work Gustave if I were a normal man, but you have seen my face it is not the only part of me that bears scars. Your mother once told me that my soul was as distorted as my face, and she was right. I do not know how to speak like a normal man because my life has never been normal. Do you understand me at all?" Erik asked the boy in frustration.

"Not really." Gustave admitted.

"Let me show you". Erik removed his robe and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his scarred chest. "These scars were not put there by God, as those on my face were; these were my gift from mankind. When I was your age, I was forced to live in a cage and display myself like a circus monkey. I had no toys or fine clothing or even a roof over my head. I was given only spoiled food to survive on, but most of all hate. For this reason it is hard for me to trust or to love anyone. "

The boy looked at him in shock his anger vanished.

"I'm sorry, Father. I did not understand you. I thought that you did not want me." He told him.

Erik sat down on Gustave's bed and peered into his aqua eyes, they were so like his own. "Of course I want you son. I would be a fool if I did not. You are the only really good thing to ever come from me. I just do not want to see you hurt. You have already suffered enough by losing your mother and Raoul. I would rather remain alone than see you come to grief from linking your fate to mine. So now do you understand why I do not want you to get too close to me? It is not because I do not love you or want you. It is because I want to keep you pure and safe and innocent, as your mother once was when she was a child. To be near me is to court death and danger. Nothing good will ever come of it." Erik told him sadly. He looked away. He did not want the boy to see his tears.

The boy put his arms around his father's waist. "You are wrong, Father. You are not bad with people if you try. I don't care what you say I think that we should try to get to know one another. You know a lot about many things and I want you to teach me. My papa used to take me hunting and fishing, taught me how to ride and even about girls. You know a lot about music and inventing machines. I have seen your library so I know that you know other things as well. I want you to teach me, and maybe I can teach you some things too like how to talk to people better and make people like you more. If they got to know you maybe they would treat you better and you would not have to be alone anymore. Would you try father?" he pleaded.

Erik looked at Gustave. "If that is what you truly want boy. We could try, but I am afraid of the consequences."

"But as long as we love one another everything will be alright. That is what Papa used to tell me." Gustave told him.

Erik laughed sardonically mumbling to himself "Omnia Vincit Amor. The fop was full of platitudes. Easy to teach when the world admires you."

"What do you mean?" Gustave asked.

"Never mind child, I was thinking out loud. Love has only brought me sorrow until now Gustave. It has been a long time since I either looked for it or believed in it." Erik mused mournfully.

"You did love my mother though? You admitted that you did earlier." he challenged.

"Yes I did son, I used to believe that she and I were soulmates. That she would make my music take flight and that I could make her spirit and my voice combine. I thought that she would ease my loneliness, and I hers if I could get her to see who I really was, underneath my grotesque face. I was a young fool" He told Gustave bitterly.

"I will make you believe in love again father. Maybe someday you can get married and have more children. I have always wanted a brother or a sister." He told Erik.

"No son." He said quietly "Your mother was the only woman that I was capable of loving. She was unique. I will never find another like her."

Gustave smiled "I don't believe that. I will find you a wife. Then you and I will both have a big and loving family just like you always wanted."

Erik laughed "Now you sound like Nadir. I am afraid that I am too old to believe in fairytale's son, but if you really prefer to stay with me than live with a real family then I would welcome that. I did not mean to make it sound like I wanted to reject you. I just want to see you happy so that you can have the opportunities that my face has made it impossible for me to have."

Gustave approached him and put his arms around Erik's waist. "I will never leave you father. I promise you that. I don't mind having a different sort of family, like we have here with you, me, Nadir, Darius and even Simone if I could get her to like you."

Erik was touched at his words and he stooped down to hug him. "You really are an exceptional child Gustave, like your mother. You have a very kind heart. I will keep you with me, and never send you away if that is what you truly want. We can, as you said, teach one another. I will show you all that I know and when the time comes it will all be yours, in return you can teach me how to act around people, and how to be a good father."

"You already are a good father. I only told you otherwise because you hurt my feelings. I thought that we had become friends." Gustave told him.

"Thank you." Erik whispered tearfully. "That means everything to me. Then we are alright with one another? You are not upset with me anymore?" He asked gently.

"We are more than alright. Thank you explaining yourself to me and making me understand. I love you Father." Gustave told him.

"I love you too son." Erik replied hoarsely. They embraced once more and held one another tightly once again.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you to my faithful reviewers kitkat, TMara, MarilynKC, MissFleck734, and Judybear236. As far as I can tell you might be the only ones reading this. I thank you for your support.

Chapter 9

From that point on Erik and Gustave were inseparable. Gustave would insist on helping Erik with his inventions. He would not allow Erik to destroy them when they were done.

After several weeks of working together Erik realized that the boy shared his passion for music and he decided that their next project would be to build a piano. Erik had to order some of the parts from Denver and paid a small fortune to have their delivery expedited but he knew that it would bind them closer together to have a project that they both could enjoy. Erik had been a teenager when he had built his organ in his lair, using scrapped parts that he had lovingly restored from discarded opera instruments. This piano would be made from the finest materials that he could find. He brought the boy on a shopping expedition in Denver, which was the first time that Erik had left the mountain in more than four years. He broke down and took Gustave to the finest restaurant in Denver, which was still a small city compared to Paris, but it had some claim to cultural amenities.

Erik and Gustave treated one another to a musical performance, which was amateurish compared to what they were accustomed to in Paris. He was not at all surprised to see that the boy had inherited his ear for music and could discuss the irregularities in the production with him. During the intermission, to Erik's amusement, Gustave took great pains to point out to Erik some beautiful women in the audience that he thought that Erik should speak with. Erik just laughed and told him that it was not yet time for him to be interviewing prospective mothers; Gustave needed to teach him a few more things about socializing. Of course Erik had no intention of meeting any women at the present time. He wanted to spend more time getting to know the creature of light that Christine and he had created. He had to admit to himself, very reluctantly, that the Vicomte had given the boy exquisite manners. With his vast intelligence, tall frame and handsome looks the boy both looked and acted older than his age. It was hard at times to remember that he was only seven years old.

Gustave was very excited at their new project. After the parts were delivered they spent hours together in the barn working on the piano. Aside from the week with Christine, Erik could not remember a time in his life when he had felt happier. He was so thrilled that the boy had fully accepted him as his father. The collaboration between them reignited Erik's passion for music and composing. Once the piano was finished, Erik gave the boy lessons as he had once taught Christine; like Erik, Gustave was a prodigy. Simone informed Erik that Gustave had been playing since he had been two years old. She told him that the Vicomte had arranged for one of the finest piano teachers in Paris to instruct Gustave. The teacher was skeptical that a two year old child could be advanced enough to learn the piano but once he had heard the boy attempt it on his own he was enchanted and agreed to teach him. At first, the Vicomte had been disturbed at this clear reminder of Gustave's true parentage; but even he had been enchanted by the boy's avid desire to learn to play, and how advanced his compositions were for a child of such a young age. Listening to this narrative from the nanny gave Erik more cause to regret his absence from his son's early life and Erik was determined to make up for it.

Erik was convinced by Gustave to regularly accompany him to the music store in town to help him pick appropriate selections. At first Erik tried to talk the boy into going with either Darius or Simone, but he insisted that only Erik would know the appropriate selections. Secretly Erik believed that Nadir had put the boy up to doing so. Nadir had tried to get Erik to come into town for years, reminding him that his prosthetic face did an excellent job of hiding his deformity from the world. Each time Gustave would expect Erik to take him to lunch at the hotel that he owned. Of course Erik felt that he should oblige the child, after all it was quite a distance in to town and he secretly started to look forward to their trips there. He improved the construction of his prosthetic face so that he could feel more comfortable eating in it. Sometimes Nadir would accompany them, and Erik did not miss the conspiring looks that they exchanged between them which would end in new ways of forcing Erik to interact with the townspeople. Gustave did exactly as he promised and would gently correct any social errors that Erik might make, and make Erik understand that not every strange look was directed at him. The boy was a natural diplomat and Erik could see the de Chagny charm that he had once despised in Raoul, work to his benefit with others.

The townspeople were surprised to see that the formerly reclusive man suddenly became a more common fixture in town with Gustave in tow. Erik would glance at Gustave, and could see him look longingly at some of the other children in town. He would stare as they walked past groups of kids his own age playing various games. Erik could see that the boy needed children of his own age to play with as well as him, as much as Gustave denied it. Erik might never have had any companions to play with when he was a child, save for the one time that his brother had snuck down to see him; but his past had made him more conscious that the boy could be lonely without some companions of his own age. He knew that Gustave, unlike him, had the option of playing with other children, as he was perfectly normal, in fact handsome in appearance, and had a title to boot. It would not take much effort to find him playmates. It became increasingly clear that they would have to move at some point if he were to keep the boy with him. It was not fair for a child to be so isolated and far from other children. It was the reason that Erik had been so hesitant to keep Gustave with him. It would be hard for Erik to leave the mountain and expose himself to other people. He did not like people as a whole and trusted few of them. He would avoid it as long as he could, but in his heart he knew that his peace could not last forever.

Towards the end of the summer the home received a visitor from town. It was the school mistress. She was a fierce gray-haired woman of around sixty who reminded Erik of Madame Giry. Like his old friend, this woman was very stern and stubborn. While both Darius and Nadir attempted to intercept her she insisted on meeting only with the father of the child. When she was told that he did not accept callers she threatened to return with the Sheriff, insisting that all children in the community were required to go to school.

True to form, Erik had been listening in on the conversation, and made the almost unprecedented decision to speak with the woman. He was wearing his prosthetic face, wig and one of his nicer suits and entered the room surprising both Persian men. The woman was prepared for a fight but was rendered speechless by the appearance of the mysterious man that everyone speculated about for so many years. His elegance and refined appearance was not what she expected. She was not sure what she had expected but not the man before her. There was no sign of the mutilated scalped survivor of Little Bighorn. In fact the man was not even American, but spoke with a clipped but elegant French accent.

He entered the room and told her with a sneer "I am the father of the boy and I do not allow anyone to threaten me, I suggest that you leave Madame and do not return. You are not welcome here."

She looked at him in shock at his rudeness and found her voice once again. "If you will not give me the courtesy of treating me in a ladylike manner, I will return posthaste with the Sheriff. You are most rude sir."

Erik was chastened by her words, realizing that he was acting inappropriately. Gustave would have kicked him or sent him some sort of signal that he was behaving poorly. He felt the need to apologize.

He bowed to the school teacher and told her more amiably.

"That will not be necessary. I apologize for my ungentlemanly behavior I am not used to having someone come to my house making demands upon me." He looked at her and told her, "You have my attention Madame, what may I do for you?"

She was so mesmerized by his beautiful voice and aqua eyes that she did not notice that he was wearing a prosthesis. "How do you do Mr…?"

"Destler." Erik filled in much more calmly. "Yes my name is Erik Destler. I understand that you are here to discuss my son's education. I think that you will find that he is very advanced compared to the average American child. Gustave was taught by a governess who was quite thorough in teaching him all that he needs to know. I have filled in any gaps my own self in these past few months since he has come to live with me. Your concern for him is therefore unnecessary."

She regained her voice and challenged "Do you mean to tell me that the boy has a full knowledge of English composition and US and British history. I would guess that neither subject was de rigeur in learning in France, but if he is to be an American, he must learn about his new country, not just his old."

Erik was surprised by the woman's stubbornness. In the past he had reduced an entire opera house to blind obedience yet this woman dared to challenge him. He found the whole thing so preposterous that he began to laugh.

"What is so funny?" she asked.

"Madame, I once reduced hundreds of people to terror for even thinking of challenging me, yet you need only blast me with those steel grey eyes of yours and I am putty in your hands." He observed.

She smiled for the first time, the transformation was amazing, and she almost looked tolerable. "I have to teach eighteen children almost every day of all grades and levels what do you expect of me? To give in to them would be a disaster."

Erik laughed once again. The teacher was charmed. She had never encountered a man quite like him particularly in Colorado. Most men that she knew were very uncouth particularly compared to the men that she once knew in her home in Virginia where they had been Southern Gentlemen. She had lost everything in the war, her home, her husband and her young child. She had come west to escape the memories but they had robbed her of both her youth and her vivacity. She wondered why this charming Frenchman never came into town until recently. He would have been very popular, particularly among the women. If she were a few years younger she might even be susceptible to his charms.

"Perhaps in your case giving in to them once in a while might win their cooperation more, particularly your male students. We men like to see a woman smile, if her smile is beautiful we will grant her the world." Erik told her.

He had never felt so relaxed with a woman but perhaps it was because he did not care what she thought of him. She was older than he was, and he figured that he would never again see her after this business. He had no intention of getting to know anyone in the town very well. Even if they were to move closer to town he would remain largely sequestered, as he had done for almost five years. Citizens of a small town rarely held any charm for him even when he lived in France. Even with Gustave's help, they would come to notice that his face was really a prosthetic and wonder what was behind it. Most likely they would shun him, even worse than people in cities because they had their superstitions.

"Perhaps you should do the same Mr. Destler. When you entered the room you looked so fierce as if you were going to devour me in one bite for my horrible presumption of coming to visit you. I did not realize that to call upon a gentleman of your clear education and wealth was considered to be a crime. Perhaps such a thing is considered inappropriate in France, but here in America we are much friendlier." She chastised.

He bowed to her as a gentleman would once again, feeling like a schoolboy who had been behaving badly. "I am sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. I am not well versed in the manners and graces of your American society. I have preferred my privacy for the past four or five years. You have not yet given me your name Madame."

"Olivia Dugard. I am the school teacher here." She told him.

"So I gathered." He replied dryly "Madame Dugard so you are of French ancestry?"

"No Mr. Destler, I am of both German and English ancestry, mainly German. My late husband Augustus was of French Huguenot ancestry."

"Ah, so you are a widow. Have you been one for long?" Erik observed.

"I was only twenty nine when he died in the late War Between the States. He fought for the Confederacy, and died the second battle of Manassas. Our young daughter was carried off later in the same year, leaving me quite alone in the world. I could not keep our property. It was burned during the Yankee invasion of the Shenandoah Valley. I decided to move here to forget everything." She told him.

"Yet you never remarried. A sad tale Madame, your grief is clearly etched in your brow. I am sorry that your life has been so hard for you, but I can see that you are very strong. I have been a student of human expression since I was little more than a child." Erik told her.

"Yet, you are a recluse." She replied "How does someone as private as you have the opportunity to observe and judge people, when you never leave this house? You have been the object of much curiosity in this town. Some say that you are a tragic figure, that you were the only survivor of Custer's army, but that you were captured and tortured and scalped and hide to cover your disfigurement. Others say that you were jilted at the altar by a woman and therefore you withdrew from the world. Some even say that you robbed a train and are hiding from the police."

Erik laughed in amusement but felt a need to get rid of the nosy old woman. He decided on shocking her to get her to leave them alone. "Perhaps it is a little bit of all three of those rumors. I have served in no army and therefore could not have survived the battle of Little Bighorn, nor being tortured and scalped by Indians, but I am wearing a prosthetic face. If I had been so injured, I would likely still look better than I do in reality. I assure you that I am quite hideous to look at. Yes I was also in love with my son Gustave's mother but she was not of a mind to overlook my disfigurement, at least not until it was too late for us to be together. She married a Vicomte who adopted our son as his own child. Finally I have committed horrific crimes including murder, so I would suggest that you ride back to town, and ignore my existence. It is not that I am unfriendly but I am not the sort of man who you would like to associate with. Not now or ever. It is the reason that I keep to myself and trust no one but my two Persian friends here. I will consider your words Madame Dugard, and if I deem it to be in Gustave's best interest to come to your school I will send him there and let you teach him but I will not be threatened into doing so."

"Sir, I will not threaten you yet again but surely as a man of education you could appreciate allowing your son to be taught by me." she pleaded.

Erik smiled "My son can read and write in perfect English, I have worked on such with him myself. As far as American history goes, he is French as I am, and will likely return there at some point in the future. My son bears a noble name and title and will no doubt be able to assume his natural role in French society. He is a child of a certain sort of refinement and I doubt that your school could teach him anything useful that I cannot teach."

She looked at him hotly "I am sure that I can teach him how to interact with people, a skill which you are clearly lacking Sir."

Nadir looked at Erik and smirked. Erik glowered at him in response. "What are you laughing at Daroga?" he asked angrily.

"It is amazing how quickly Madame Dugard was able to assess your personality. Perhaps you should send the boy to her school; she is certainly an intelligent woman." Nadir mused.

"Erik smiled evilly "Perhaps I should send you to school with him. She has the perfect temperament to be your new wife, thick shelled and vicious like a scorpion. You will need a new place to live when I throw you out on the street for your insolence." He told him in Farsi.

"Perhaps it is time that I should go and leave you alone to wallow in your misery. You do not want to send the boy to school with the woman because you do not want to have to show your face too much in public, despite your lunches with Gustave. Perhaps it is time that you start to act like a father and help him to meet some of the other children. Do you want him to grow up unhappy and morose like you?" Nadir asked.

"You try my patience Persian if it were anyone but you I would be decorating your neck in my Punjab lasso, but I will overlook it for now since we are in the company of a woman." He told him.

He looked at the woman and bowed stiffly "If you will excuse me, I have more pressing matters to attend to currently. I will take your offer to teach my child under advisement."

In the distance they suddenly heard the piano playing. The teacher looked over at Erik in amazement and asked "Who is that playing the piano? I have never heard it before but that is the most beautiful melody that I have ever heard. Whoever is playing it is a gifted pianist."

Erik looked at her proudly "That my dear Madame is my son Gustave who is playing, and that composition is one of his own. He is the child of two musicians and he has inherited the best of both of us. Perhaps now you can understand why your offer to teach him is not so readily accepted by me. My son's ability to learn far surpasses that of an ordinary child. He is a genius, and as such, must be tutored in an extraordinary way. I myself am similarly gifted and have therefore placed the responsibility for educating my boy into my own hands. I did not try to insult you when I told you that I would think about it. I was only speaking the truth. If it offended you then you have my sincere apology Madame Dugard."

She looked at Erik and smiled sheepishly "I can see that I have misjudged you once more Mister Destler. I believe that I understand your reasons for hesitation in sending your son to my school. I will not threaten you with consequences if you choose not to do so, but perhaps both you and he would like to come to town one day and visit my classroom. Perhaps if you attended you could judge for yourself whether or not there could be some benefit to sending him there. I would still argue that the boy is in need of friends that are his own age. I am sure that in your past you must have fond memories of your childhood playmates, it is such an important part of ones progression to adulthood. I would hate to see him miss out on what the other children in the area are up to."

Erik reddened as her words hit a raw nerve "I did not have the benefit of childhood playmates Madame. My childhood was a most unhappy one. Perhaps if I had been exposed to your particular style of teaching. I might have as you said been more adept at interacting with people, as you would say so I would not be the loathsome man that you clearly think me to be."

He turned to the Daroga "Please show our guest to the door." He turned back to her "Adieu Madame." He bowed to her and left, leaving both the teacher and Nadir speechless.

Nadir turned to her "I must apologize for Erik, Madame. He does not hold many people in high regard. If you knew him and his past better you would understand him more. He is a good man, but he turned his face away from the world for many reasons most of them valid ones. I am trying to get him to give the world another chance for Gustave's sake and he wants to but he will only do so if he is made to see that it is the best path open for Gustave. Until then he will avoid such things."

She looked at the door that he had left through "He is a very intriguing man. Most people in town have never seen him or met him so they are of course very curious about him. Now that I have met him I still don't know how to view him. He must be a hard man to live with."

"Erik is hard to live with, but he is worth knowing. I met him years ago in my homeland of Persia and we have been friends ever since. He is the most loyal friend that a person can have. He has a heart that could hold the world but he has never had the chance to use it." Nadir told her.

"Well I hope that he decides to give us a chance. It is a fine community here with a lot of good people." She replied.

He showed her to the door. "Don't count on it Madame. I have been trying to get him out of here for a long time."


	10. Chapter 10

This is still not being read by many. It makes me wonder at times whether it is worth continuing, but I hate to stop writing just because it is not being supported. That is not the reason that I am doing this, but it is nice to know that people are reading it. I have made it my mission to finish my stories as long as I have at least a few readers. I do here, which has been enough so far. I have read some good stories that were discontinued in the middle and that bothers me. Perhaps this will do better at some point in the future when it is a complete work.

Chapter 10

A week went by and Erik had not made up his mind as to whether or not he should send Gustave to school. It would definitely force him to move into town, and he had long resigned himself to living away from humanity. Additionally de la Croix had not been heard from since he had returned to France. The danger to the boy could still be out there; if there was one to begin with. The mountain offered him a natural protection against anyone who might be tempted to do them harm. He had chosen the location due to the difficulties involved in scaling it and for his ability to see whoever dared try from far off. The same difficulties were now the factors that compelled him to move off of the mountain. In the current situation, the boy could find no neighbors to play with. To his credit, the boy never complained, he seemed to enjoy working with Erik. Erik, Simone, Nadir and Darius would even play some childhood games with Gustave, but it was not the same. Erik knew in his heart that he had no right to deprive the boy of a normal childhood. It was the reason that he had tried so desperately not to bond with him. He knew that if he were to keep the boy that he would have to leave his refuge and attempt to live among humanity. It wasn't that he had never wanted to have a normal life. He just knew that it was impossible.

Once that had been all that he ever wanted; a wife to love him, who he could take for a Sunday walk in the park; children to leave a legacy so that his life's work would not die with him. It would have meant everything to him, back when he used to have hope. When he failed to achieve that dream, in his bitterness he turned to madness and murder. He did not want to resurrect that part of him again. He wanted the love without the madness, the peace without the violence. In his heart he knew that he had to make the impossible work, no longer for his sake but for Gustave's; particularly after the boy accepted him, despite how he looked. He was the only person that he had ever met who had not screamed or turned away from him after seeing his face. Christine was terrified of his face when she first saw it, and Nadir and Antoinette were disgusted. All of them eventually came to terms with it, but at first it had been very hurtful. Erik did not look forward to facing the same prejudices once again. His prosthetic face was good from a distance but still it was noticeable if they were to look closely. Not even he was enough of a magician to make his strange appearance go away, no matter how handsome his prosthetic might make him appear at first sight. But his love for the boy had forced him to reassess his life and he knew that he had to leave the comforting blanket of darkness and live in the light.

The boy had looked past his face immediately when he saw it and embraced the man inside. Christine had given Erik the tool that he needed to venture into the light. He had to accept himself and be prepared to show his true face to the world and respond stoically. Christine had shown him the folly of his past actions by preparing their son for a time where he might meet his father. She had done the same for Erik, when she had told him that he had made a mistake not warning her what was behind his mask. He had kept it hidden, yet in plain view, which turned it into a mystery for Christine to uncover. If he had warned her what was behind his mask he could have revealed his face on his own terms, not hers. His inability to do so had set the tone for the tragedy that followed. He knew that his reaction had pushed her out of his life and into the Vicomte's arms.

With that in mind, he decided to take Gustave to town to visit the school to observe the classroom as the Dugard woman had invited him to do. The boy was excited that they were going to leave the mountain and look at the school. Erik also decided to telegraph de la Croix in France. By now he had to have rejoined the gendarmerie and helped with their investigation. It had been several months since the man would have returned to France and yet there had been no word from him. The man had promised a quick report as to what had been discovered. It was key to his future plans with the boy. He needed to be assured that the danger had passed and that the boy was safe before letting his guard down.

Erik and Gustave made their way down the mountain and were a short ride outside of town when they heard some shots being fired. A carriage was under attack by two brigands on horseback. They were both wearing masks, and Erik could see that the driver of the carriage was already dead. One of the bandits had opened the door and was leaning inside. Erik and Gustave were on horseback as well. Erik ordered Gustave to take cover in a copse of trees near the side of the road with both horses. The two men had dismounted and were clearly threatening whoever was inside. Erik crept behind the two men carrying his Punjab, and a pistol. Erik unleashed his Punjab behind the first man snapping his neck in an instant. He collapsed into a lifeless heap. The second man spotted him and turned towards him to shoot. Erik heard the gun fire and could feel something sharp pierce his shoulder but at the same time he threw his Punjab around the second man. With his injured shoulder he could not get a good hold around the bandit's neck. Instead he knocked him down and they started fighting hand to hand. Erik's prosthetic face fell off in the scuffle, as well as his wig revealing his hideous deformity to the man beneath him. The bandit gasped in disgust and horror, giving Erik the opening that he needed to subdue him. He grabbed the man's neck snapping it swiftly and deftly. He was ready to stand up and retrieve his prosthetic and wig when a man emerged from the carriage and held his gun on Erik.

"Who or _what_ are you?" he shouted to Erik, a look of pure disgust spread over his face as he studied Erik's ghastly features. The man seemed ready to shoot Erik, although his gun trembled in his hands from the shock at seeing such a hideous face.

Erik started to hold his hands up to show that he was disarmed, but the man was only more disconcerted. He cocked his weapon and seemed ready to fire.

Gustave screamed and emerged from his hiding place. The man looked away, and Gustave stepped in front of the man "Don't call my father 'a what' he just saved your life, and you would repay him by treating him with disrespect and then killing him? You must lower your gun at once, sir" He demanded, sounding completely like the young nobleman that he had been raised to be.

The man remained frozen, still staring in horror at Erik's appearance.

Gustave came closer and appealed to him "Are you really going to hurt my father sir? Would you hold his face against him?"

The man relaxed his frozen stare and then looked sheepishly towards Gustave. He finally lowered his gun and turned to Gustave "I am sorry boy. I did not know whether or not he was one of the robbers? You say that uh _he_ is your father?"

"Yes of course I do. Are you daft? Isn't that what I just told you?" He insisted. Gustave walked over to Erik and gave him a hug. "Are you alright father? You have been shot. You are bleeding."

"I'll be fine son, help me find my prosthesis and my wig." He told him, not wanting to distress the boy.

Gustave found Erik's prosthetic face which had cracked and handed it back to his father, still glaring at the man. "Look at my father's clothing, it is that of a gentleman. How dare that you presume otherwise."

Erik was both amused by Gustave's arrogant manner and pleased with his defense of him; although the boy had been foolish to step in front of the man's gun. He might have been killed. He looked at his son and told him in French admonishing "It is alright Gustave, thank you for coming to my defense, but I told you to stay back not get yourself killed. I could have handled this man on my own. Unfortunately this is not a unique situation."

"But it doesn't make it right, Father. You are a man, clearly a gentleman. These Americans are very uncouth to treat you in such a way, no matter how you look."

Erik looked at him in amusement "The French are no better Gustave. It is why I hide from the world. I am touched at both your concern, and your defense of me but I am alright. Thank you for caring about me though. I am not used to anyone defending me."

"Anyone who does not is without honor. If I were older I would challenge this man to a duel for his treatment of you." Gustave told him still angry at the man.

Erik smiled and then patted the boy's head affectionately; he could feel the Vicomte's influence once again. "Then I am glad that you are not older because I would not have you risk your life for me." He glanced at the American who was still watching them with uncertainty. "Ah but now we are treating this man in an ungentlemanly manner as well by speaking in French." He turned to the man and bowed slightly speaking in his velvety tone "My apologies Mister, we should be conversing in front of you in English."

The man looked at Erik apologetically, although he was clearly uncomfortable with the sight of him. Erik was not surprised; it was the usual 'calmer' reaction that he would receive when people would see his face. At least the man was not screaming in terror, and threatening to kill him now.

Instead the man reluctantly held out his hand to shake Erik's and told him "I am sorry for my mistake, sir. I was quite shaken up by what had happened. I did not mean to imply that you were less than human. There were ladies inside and they threatened to kill us. They killed my driver, a long time servant of ours. The men were wearing masks so I could not tell whether or not you were friend or foe. But I can see clearly now that you are too elegantly dressed to have been one of their confederates. "

Erik accepted the proffered hand and shook it as a gentleman would "An understandable mistake. I am glad that I was there to help. Please excuse me for a moment while I make myself more presentable." He retrieved his wig and covered his bald head with it, smoothing it down, he then affixed the damaged prosthetic to his face, as best as he could but it was clearly inadequate.

When Erik was finished he turned back to the man and told him. "I am sure that you will find me more presentable now, I am well aware of the effect that my appearance has on people."

The man looked sheepish "No sir, I am quite ashamed of my behavior, instead of being grateful to you for coming to our aid, I was intolerably rude. You saved me, my wife, my son and my two daughters, and I pulled a gun on you and called you something less than human. Your son was right I was raised to be a gentleman sir. I would like to thank you for all that you have done. He reached into his pocket and started to pull out a billfold.

Erik stopped him saying softly "No a reward is unnecessary. I saw that you were in need of assistance and I came to your rescue. I had the ability to do so, and so I did what anyone would have done and assisted you." he looked at Gustave and spoke to him in English. "Unfortunately son we will have to go into town, to see the school and buy more music, on a different day, I have to dress my wound and repair my prosthetic face, if I can. It may be sometime before we can try again. I am not sure if my prosthesis is repairable."

The man suddenly looked at Erik in recognition "You are the mysterious man who lives out of town on the mountain with the two foreign gentlemen? I have seen you from a distance. I detect a faint accent from both you and your son. Are you French?" the man asked.

"Yes. I am, as is my son, Gustave. My name is Erik Destler. We were on our way into town to see the school but it will have to wait." Erik told him. "I need to return home to clean out my wound. It is a flesh wound but it is still bleeding a little bit."

"Nonsense sir we are closer to my home in town than to your home. Please come with us to my house and let me fetch the doctor, and pay for his services to you. I want to make up for my previous treatment of you. You have been most patient with me considering my rudeness and my mistake. May we start over again and pretend that what took place before had not happened?" He pleaded.

"Yes of course." Erik replied courteously. "As I told you before, you are not the first person to view me in such a manner. Gustave is not used to seeing most people's reaction to me when I am without my prosthetic face. If I were to take offense each time that it has happened, I would be constantly required to defend my honor."

"You are most gracious sir, far more than I deserve. Allow me to introduce myself. I am George McGraw, both the judge and the mayor of Madison. We were returning from visiting my wife's brother down the road in Pierceton when we were attacked. These boys that you took care of look like they may have been part of a gang of outlaws who have been terrorizing this part of the state lately. Ever since Sheriff Everly retired we have had our hands full trying to rid ourselves of them."

Erik looked at him and told him dryly "Now you have two less to worry about."

He looked at the two bodies and smiled. "You have quite a talent in taking care of such threats. I don't suppose that you would want the job until a Marshall can arrive. I have asked the US Marshall's office in Denver to send us someone, but they have been dragging their feet. In the meantime the outlaws have been growing bolder and endangering all of us. They want me out of the way because I have been very vocal and forced the Feds to assign us an experienced US Marshall, so we don't just have a Sheriff any longer. They know that once that happens that the town will be cleaned up completely." He told Erik.

"I'm sorry Mr. McGraw, I have some past experience on both sides of the law, but I prefer not to resort to any additional killing unless necessary. If there had been any other way to subdue these men and save you I would have done so. I just want to live in peace and not bother anyone, or be bothered."

"Would you at least be willing to help with keeping the peace in town until the Marshall were to arrive? We would be tremendously grateful to you. I am sure that it would benefit you as well. I know that a few of the shipments from your mines have been intercepted over the past few months. Wouldn't you like to disrupt the criminals?" He asked.

Erik considered that, the man was right there had been some issues as of late. He used the railroad to ship most of his ore but there had been train robberies as well.

"Perhaps I would consider helping as part of an organized group. My friend was a police chief in Persia. We used to work together on behalf of the Shah's secret police. Perhaps he might have some ideas for organizing some men to deal with this problem. I suppose as you said it would be in our best interest to help." Erik told him.

"Will you come with me then so that Doctor Foster can look at your wound? Please sir. Your son looks to be the same age as mine. I am sure that he would enjoy playing with someone his own age. It must get lonely up there. My wife Victoria can make us a lunch while they play." He offered.

Erik nodded in agreement although he was not terribly interested meeting the man's family with a cracked prosthetic. He did want to give Gustave a chance to make a friend.

"Alright." He told him. "But you do not need me to sit with you at lunch. I can eat in another room. I am afraid that it is hard enough for me to eat with my prosthesis on when it is in good shape, it will be impossible for me to do so with the crack in it."

"Please, sir. I am ashamed of my reaction to your face. You will eat at our table, without your prosthetic if necessary. I will not put you out like you are some sort of animal. You are clearly a gentleman. You cannot help how you look. From what I saw it looks as if it is a very old wound or even perhaps it has been there since birth. I would guess that the rumors about you and Custer are wrong." He said with a smirk.

"I have never even heard of this Custer fellow, but yes I was born this way. I would love to give you a romantic story but I do not have one." He told the man.

"From what I can see you must have a great many stories to tell me. How did you learn to fight like you did just now? In the military?" he asked.

"Here and there, Monsieur McGraw." Erik replied noncommittally. He did not feel the need to share his life story with a stranger.

"You may call me George." He replied. He pointed to his arm. You do not look like you are in any condition to ride your horse. Why don't you attach both of your horses to the back of our carriage and we can go from there. It is only another 3 miles into town, we can get to know one another better on the way. I have a feeling that we are destined to become good friends, if you would so oblige me."

"You have seen my face, and would still seek my friendship?" Erik asked stunned at the thought.

"I was a young cavalry officer under JEB Stuart during the late war. I have seen some brutal injuries." He said. "As I told you, when I first saw you, I was not thinking straight. I was not sure if you were friend or foe. I have taken what your son has told me to heart. We would have been killed by those brigands if you did not save us. They forced my driver to stop and then shot him. We tried to keep the door to the carriage closed but they forced the door open. I am sure that it was their intention to rob us and then kill us. I heard them discussing it. I always keep a gun beneath the seat of the carriage just in case, but you took care of them before I could attempt to. It would have been dangerous for me to try to stop them by firing my weapon in such an enclosed place; but that is exactly what I intended to do. We were dead either way, at least until you rescued us." He said "Come on in and meet my wife and family. He motioned to Gustave. "You too son."

The man tied the horses to the back of the carriage and invited him to come in front with him to talk further as he drove it. Gustave looked at his father shyly "Can I come with you?"

Erik smiled "I'll tell you what Gustave, I will ride with you and the others." He turned to George "My son is only just getting to know me. His mother and I were separated by circumstances and I did not know of his existence until recently. I think that he will feel more confident in my presence."

George nodded "I understand. I guess I would have felt the same way at his age. My children have known the same people for their entire lives and therefore they are used to riding in a carriage without me."

"Gustave is far from home, and he has lived in his family's townhouse in Paris for all of his life. He has been raised with many servants to wait upon him. His friends were mainly upper class scions of Parisian society. Needless to say he is different than most American children." Erik told him.

George walked into the carriage and then his family came out and they were introduced to Erik and Gustave. They all eyed Erik's broken prosthetic curiously. George introduced them to one another particularly his wife, Victoria. Victoria invited Erik to sit beside her with Gustave next to him. The three children faced them.

"I guess that we owe your our life Mr. Destler. I do not know how we can possibly repay you." Victoria told him kindly.

"A repayment is not necessary Madame McGraw. I saw what the men intended to do and felt compelled to act." Erik told her. "That was all there was to it."

"Perhaps for you sir, but we will find a way to repay you. Does your shoulder hurt badly?" she asked.

"I have been in worse pain, Madame; it is only a flesh wound, hardly worth a doctor's aid." Erik replied. "I have suffered much worse." He added. His shoulder was in pain but he wanted to act as if it wasn't for the boy's sake. He could see Gustave glancing his way in alarm.

"Your boy is very protective of you sir. It is nice to see such a solid bond between father and son, it does you credit. I apologize for George's words. He is an honorable man, and I am sure that he is mortified by his own words." She told him.

"As I told him, madam, I am used to it. My face is not a pretty sight for anyone to see." Erik told her.

"Please call me Victoria, as my husband said I would hope that you will consider us friends." She told him.

"You may call me Erik." He replied.

"I heard you tell my husband that you were born with a deformity. Does it hurt?" Victoria asked softly.

"No, not physically." He replied.

She looked at him sympathetically "Forgive me for prying into your affairs it is only that here in Madison we have all wondered about the man who lived up on the mountain with only two companions, it seems such a lonely sort of existence. Olivia returned to tell some of us that you were a most intriguing sort of man. She is not normally one to be rattled by anyone but apparently you managed to do so. It is strange to think that you could disconcert her."

Erik admitted "She did not show it. She is a most forceful type of woman."

"She and I share a lot of history. Her husband Francis was in the Cavalry together with George where Francis was George's superior officer. When the war ended in our defeat, we moved west and helped to settle Madison. When we needed a school mistress George and I thought of Olivia. She and I grew up in the same town in Virginia and I knew that she was very well educated. We are related through her late husband. She is a marvelous teacher. Gustave would be in good hands."

"I will have to judge for myself. Do you have some French blood Madame like her late husband?" he asked smiling at her.

"No we were cousins on the Claybourne side. My family came to Virginia in the early 1600s. They were among the first groups of English to settle in the New World. My families were all planters in the Tidewater area. We were related to the Lee's and the more distantly to the Custis family. My husband brought us out here after the war. He wanted to forget everything that happened, all the dead that we buried and move west. Our home near Fredericksburg had been turned into part of the battlefield there. Many people died on that hallowed ground." She told him.

"So you wanted to leave all of the blood and death behind." He observed softly.

"Yes. What about you?"

Erik glanced over at his son and back at the woman and whispered so as Gustave couldn't hear. Gustave was chattering away with the other children "My story is the same too much blood and death, some of it by my own hands. My face has caused me much misery and I gave back what I received. Gustave's mother rejected me, at first, because of my face, and my violent nature too, but then by the time that she and I did find mutual love it was too late. I have spent the past eight years trying to forget all of it, but just now, once again I had to take two lives to save yours. I am too good at killing, much too good at it for my own peace of mind. It is one reason why I have stayed far away from others. I do not want death to stalk me anymore. I have tried to stay away from it."

She smiled at him "I am sure that you are not as bad as you believe yourself to be. I have seen men who take pride in killing. The late War Between the States bred many such men. You appear to be truly repentant of your past. This part of the country is the perfect place to live. We do not care about what a man's past might be no matter how terrible. Most of us who came here early on, had to fight hard and kill just to survive, just as you must have done. We do not have time to value a man for his handsome face, just the stoutness of his heart. When you are fighting for your life, you want the person beside you to be strong and possess an indomitable spirit, not some sort of prancing fop like you see in Boston, New York or anywhere else on the east coast."

Erik replied "You make life sound so basic and simple, here in the west. In France we speak of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity but we are still highly aware of the difference between social classes. My son has been raised as a Vicomte; he has had every opportunity handed to him, unlike myself who has had to fight just to survive. I guess that it makes me a natural American." he smiled at her.

She looked at Erik and told him "At least a westerner. I was raised a bit like your son. My family was, as I told you, very proud of its place in Virginia society, but after the war began, everything that we knew began to crumble. My husband would tell me that death did not discriminate on the battlefield. When it came to our home; I could see rows upon rows of the dead and the dying. Yankee and Rebel alike were lying side by side, the wounded were crying for their mothers or their wives. It was then that I knew that I was no more special than my neighbor or even my slaves."

Just then the carriage stopped. They had arrived at the McGraw home. The boys ran out the door to the back yard where their son Ezra promised to show Gustave his tree fort that he and his father had built. The two sisters, Rachael and Rebecca, were much older and would not deign to have anything to do with the boys. They retreated to their own area of the house. The McGraw house was large and modern. It was built in the spacious Victorian style with a turret and widows walk.

George opened the door and told them "I will call Dr Foster over using our new telephone and the undertaker as well. Dr. Foster will be here soon to look at your shoulder, Erik. In the meantime how did y'all get along? I can see that our sons have already become great friends as I predicted. He will have your boy playing with the other boys in town quickly."

He ran off to make his phone calls, while a servant brought them some tea and fruit.

Victoria smiled sweetly "Mr. Destler and I were just swapping stories as to how we came to be here, so far from the civilized places of the East and Europe. Apparently he has chosen to deprive our town of his company because he has come here to escape his 'violent past.' I explained to him how that might describe many of us here in Madison. That should not be an impediment to becoming a full–fledged honest and productive member of our community here; provided of course that you are willing to do so."

George laughed "Honest and productive, the man already owns half of the mines in the area. He is the largest employer in the region or didn't he tell you. You have employed so many folks around here that we should change the name of the town to Destlerville after you."

Erik blushed in embarrassment. He was grateful for once that his face was covered by the prosthetic so that they could not see. "You may keep the name as it is. I prefer not to live with any sort of notoriety. I was somewhat of a famous person in France, but not for a good reason."

George replied "Your honesty about yourself tells me that you are not a bad person, at least not now, whatever your past might have been sir. We are happy to have such a distinguished man in our small community now. I heard you tell your son that you would take him to buy some more music at a different time. Do you enjoy the arts? We have a fairly new Opera House in Central City in Gilpin County that opened around ten years ago. It brings in acts from all over the country such as Buffalo Bill and PT Barnum's Circus, including real live Opera as well. The same railway that you use to transport your gold and silver can also take us there for concerts. There is a fine singer from St. Louis who will be there next month and perhaps you would like to join us."

"I'll think about it. I was involved with the Opera in Paris for a time. In my younger days, I fancied myself a composer, a pianist and a violinist. I have not played or composed in years but I still do enjoy a good opera. I am quite a perfectionist when it comes to the musical arts. I am not sure that I would be pleased to discover imperfections."

"Perhaps you will change your mind and join us sometime. Victoria and I feel strongly that if we are to bring civilization to this area, we will have to attract cultural institutions to attract some more illustrious minds here. If we do not this town might become a ghost town when the mines stop producing. " George told him.

"What happened to the notion that this was a place where someone could start over away from the strictures of the East and Europe?" Erik asked raising a brow.

"We would like to see our town adopt some of the better elements found in the east without the snobbery." Victoria replied.

"Ah, I see. Perhaps you should try to build a college out here such as they have in the east. Such institutions tend to attract persons of culture to a community. If you want this town to remain viable that might solve your problem." Erik told them.

George looked at his wife and back at Erik "That is not a bad idea, but how is it done, I wonder."

Erik replied "I would suggest setting aside some land for such an institution and soliciting the patronage of your more illustrious citizens to that end. You may not attract the caliber of a student that the Sorbonne or Harvard might allow, but some families may not wish to send their sons and maybe even their daughters so far away, to the east. You can offer education in areas that are needed locally such as agriculture and mining. In time perhaps you can offer instruction in English, history, music and the other arts."

The couple looked at one another; George then smiled "That would certainly separate us from the other communities in the area. You are a brilliant man Erik. Perhaps fate chose to bring us together at last. I am almost happy that we were attacked just to have the opportunity to meet you. Speaking of such, Dr. Foster is here. I hear him at the door. Sadie our servant will answer. I am eager to introduce you to one another. He is one of the more well-educated members of our community. You have already met Olivia, she is another."

Erik began to feel quite comfortable in the McGraw home. He started to wonder if he had finally found the place that he had spent a lifetime searching for. A place where he could be accepted for who he was despite his cursed face.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

December 24, 1889

When Erik thought of how his last Christmas had been he completely marveled at the change that had occurred in his life since then. While he still bemoaned the fact that Christine had been murdered and that he would never see her again, he took guilty comfort in the fact that he now had Gustave in his life. The boy was a pure delight for him. He almost felt that he had a second chance at childhood by living it through him. He was envious of Raoul that he had been the one to spend Gustave's younger years with him. He could see why his former adversary had been so close to the boy. Gustave was hard for anyone not to like. He had his mother's kind nature, Erik's genius and was perfectly formed in every way. It was truly amazing that an abomination such as him could have sired such a son.

One month previously, Erik had purchased a house in town and they were now spending more time there than on the mountain. At first Erik had dreaded the thought of being in the middle of a town with people walking by the house, but he did become friends with some of the more distinguished citizens of Madison, thanks in part to his growing friendship with George McGraw. Victoria would urge him to find a woman to love, but he told her that he would never get over Christine. His memory of their week together and their music that they once shared in the earlier days remained vivid and haunting. It was almost as if he had become the living breathing person and she became the Phantom that he once pretended to be. Erik still could not believe in his heart that she was lost and gone from him forever. A part of her remained alive inside his soul. Occasionally he would dream that she was calling to him, and asking him why he had not tried to find her. He would almost feel her in his arms but he knew that they were only dreams. He could vividly remember their passionate love making where she held him tightly and caressed and kissed him even in his most hideous places. But the hard truth was that their love was never meant to be. It had been doomed from the start first by his deception of her, then by her rejection of him, finally by his temporary insanity.

Still, for the first time in years, he did not let the past weigh him down and keep him from living a full life. Gustave would not let him go back into the darkness, but forced him instead to do the opposite, step into the light. A part of him still felt that he was unworthy of all of the good that had seeped into his life, particularly his son, but most of the time he reveled in his newly found freedom. In only a few months he had gone from recluse to important citizen. The town marveled when Gustave had encouraged him to bring his horseless carriage into town and store it at their new residence. Many scrambled to get to know the genius who had invented such a marvel. Gustave became very popular among the children because of it. They were constantly besieged by children, and sometimes their parents, who begged to take a ride in it. In return they received a steady stream of invitations for dinners with some of the most prominent families in town. Erik was forced to modify his prosthetic face to meet the new demand for his company. In the past it did not matter whether or not he could eat with it on in public because he had no companions but Nadir and Darius and later Gustave and Simone, but suddenly he had to do so. Unfortunately it required that it look a little less realistic, but if anyone noticed no one mentioned it. It certainly did not stop some townspeople from inviting their unattached female friends or relatives to dinner, in the hopes of welcoming such a 'well heeled' gentleman to their circle, particularly one with a Vicomte as a son. But Erik would not take an interest in any of the women. His heart remained sealed in ice. Even if some of them were quite attractive, and Nadir would encourage him to find a new mother for Gustave's sake.

Nadir asked him bluntly "Since when has it been necessary to marry strictly for love Erik? Most of the time people marry for convenience and position and not love. If you did so and were lucky love will come eventually, as it did in my marriage, but if not at least Gustave would have a mother and you would have companionship. Gustave will be an adult someday and I am older than you do you really want to be alone once again?"

"Daroga, you know that Christine and I were soulmates. There is no getting over that. You and Farah were soul mates as well, you should understand." He would tell him.

"Yes, doostam but I had fifteen years of marriage, you had one week long ago with a girl that thought that she hated you before that." He reminded him.

"But she didn't hate me, doostam. She only feared me. Remember that I knew her as a friend and student long before that and we used to talk about everything and nothing at all. She and I would sing together and our music would carry us to our own private Eden where neither her youth, nor my face, would matter. We may not have physically coupled but we were one in spirit and voice." Erik told him wistfully.

"But she is gone. Perhaps you could find another like her. I have seen more than one single lady eye you. Despite your deformity you cut quite an impressive figure." Nadir told him.

"And the face of a corpse." Erik sneered bitterly. "I am quite the catch."

"One of these days, Erik, you have to move past your disfigurement. It is time to let go of your anger and bitterness towards humanity, and move past your obsession with Christine. There are other women in the world, who are beautiful and loving."

"Never." Erik told him mournfully. "I still have trouble recognizing that she is gone. My soul does not accept it, only my mind. We shared so much of everything that there were times that I would feel as if she was thinking of me, no matter how far away from one another that we were. She must still be doing so from heaven, because I still sense her as I always have."

"Erik you will never be whole if you do not learn to accept your loss. I have learned to accept mine. It was not easy and took me years to do so, but finally I have." Nadir told him.

"Why then do you not court one of these women? Why am I the only one who must seek companionship and love? Who will you have if I die before you Darius?" he teased.

"I am a practicing Muslim. I cannot marry someone who is not of my own faith and there are no Muslims here in Madison. Besides I am much older than you and no longer need to marry at this stage in life. I am content to watch you and Gustave interact; you are both so entertaining."

"You are teaching Gustave Farsi. How do you expect for us to discuss him if you continue to do so. I have been terrified that he would find out about the puppy that I bought him. The McGraws will bring him here tomorrow." Erik told him.

In the meantime Gustave was in Erik's suite of rooms looking to see where his gift might be hidden. He looked in his father's desk and found nothing, but then he looked underneath and found a key and an envelope wedged underneath it. He used his small hands to bring them up, and recognized his father's handwriting on the front of it. It was addressed to Erik, which surprised him. He knew that his papa did not like "The Phantom". He had told his son stories about the man who had almost killed him and yet here he was writing something to this same man. He wondered if he should look at it first or give it to his father. He decided to give it to his father, but first he wanted to continue to look for his gift. He brought both objects to his room and continued to hunt for his gift. He forgot about it for the time being in the excitement of the holiday.

Meanwhile far from Colorado, across half a continent and an ocean, feelings of sadness, loneliness and longing pierced a woman's soul. She missed her son, husband and angel. She had prayed that her angel would find her and come to her rescue but he had not yet come. She started to wonder if he ever would. It had been a longshot that he would do so. It seemed to her that an eternity had passed since that terrible day that separated her from her son and husband. Raoul had been in great danger for his betrayal of the Boulangists. He had notified the authorities about plans for an upcoming coup attempt against the President of the Republic, angering many important people. He had received multiple death threats to him and his 'foreign wife'. On that fateful day, her mother in law, Cecile promised that Raoul's brother Philippe would protect her and Gustave, if she would have her marriage to Raoul annulled and give up both Gustave's claim to the title of Vicomte, and his inheritance from Raoul. Christine would be given a villa and stipend. Christine might have been willing to do so, to keep everyone safe; but Raoul was adamant that Gustave not be declared a bastard and disinherited.

Earlier in the week, Philippe had tried to persuade Raoul to listen and do the same thing, in light of the danger to his life, but Raoul was adamant that Gustave would remain his heir. Cecile readily agreed to help Philippe by speaking to Christine, because she too did not want such a creature to inherit the title. As the son of the Phantom of the Opera and a foreign Opera Singer, the boy could be nothing but a horrible monster that would taint their family name. Raoul had found out about her meeting with his mother and had interrupted furiously, telling his mother that she had no right to cast aspersions upon Gustave's legitimacy when he had so clearly and unambiguously confirmed it.

In their earlier conversation, Philippe had admitted to Raoul that because Raoul used the same attorney as the rest of the family that Philippe had been informed of a secret codicil that would establish Gustave's succession to the title and fortune without question. Philippe expected Raoul to revoke it immediately and disinherit the boy for the sake of the family. Raoul threw his mother out of the house, and then turned on Christine for her treachery in agreeing to meet her. All the pent up anger that he possessed towards her spewed out. The unspoken accusation towards her had risen to the surface like lava from a volcano and there was a meltdown.

"Did you ever love me Christine or were you simply using me? For what purpose I do not know. Your 'Angel' almost killed me that day, yet you are worse than he ever was, more monstrous. You begged me for my aid. Made me believe that you feared for your life, and yet you warmed his bed like a common whore. In my heart I knew that you had betrayed me from the first, when you cowered from me on that first night when we made love. Your heart was far away from me that night. It was with_ him_ wasn't it?"

She nodded yes tearfully "Yes Raoul, it was but I did not mean to deceive you, not at first. I truly thought that I loved you. I was so young, and afraid of Erik. He was so intense and I thought that he would devour me, and then he killed. You were kind and warm and gentle, and so handsome. I remembered all of the good memories from our time in Perros. You reminded me of how carefree and happy that we were. You were my shining knight coming to rescue me from him."

"Yet you went back to him." He interjected bitterly. "After all that he did you went to him and slept with him. Why didn't you stay? Why come back and deceive me?"

Christine looked at Raoul apologetically "I meant only to tell him goodbye. We had a past together, and despite everything that he had done, I knew that I still cared about him. He had been there for me when my father died and no one else cared about me. He made my voice special, and yet I scorned him and betrayed him. I tracked him down to ask for his forgiveness for betraying him in such a horrible way. I should not have torn the mask from his face Raoul, not in front of the world. My actions helped set up what came after it. After I found him we started talking, and before I knew it, we had looked into one another's hearts and I finally saw him for who he was, not what I thought that he was."

"He was a murderer Lotte, plain and simple and a liar to boot. He deceived you and tried to force you to marry him, using my life as leverage." Raoul told her angrily. "You did not have to seek his forgiveness his crimes were far worse than yours."

Christine looked at him sadly "Yes they were terrible, but it was because I made him that way. He had never known any sort of love Raoul; his life had been one big nightmare. He was rejected by his family, and then treated terribly by the gypsies. Everywhere that he went he was made to see pain and was subjected to all sorts of inhumanity. His body is covered in scars but he was born with only scars on his face. Hideous scars, many given to him when he was Gustave's age. I was the only one who he believed that could ever love him, and see past his hideous surface. He believed that because we had been friends for so long and had made a connection through our music, I could grow to accept him for who he was. When I rejected him, it was the last straw."

"So you accepted his excuses for killing. It made everything all right, the poor misunderstood monster, really just a man like the rest of us." He mocked bitterly.

"No Raoul. I told him that I could never be with him. But then he explained why he killed and admitted that it was wrong, and promised me that if I could forgive him that he would never do it again." She told him.

"And you thought that a promise from him was good enough to stop him from repeating his crimes? He would behave rationally just like everyone else? Really Christine were you that naïve?" Raoul asked.

"His so called crimes were not as abhorrent as they might have appeared on the surface Raoul. I gave him a chance to tell me what had happened. I never did that at the time you know. The least that we should have done before hunting him down like a rabid beast was to hear his side of the story. When I inquired he made no attempt to claim his innocence, but he did give me some valid reasons for his murderous actions. He told me that Buquet had impugned his honor and had been warned repeatedly and that he was being stalked by him. He asked me whether you would have done differently if someone had insulted your honor and spread lies about you. I couldn't deny that you wouldn't have done the same. Can you Raoul? Can you really say that you would not challenge someone who told lies about you to a duel?"

Raoul replied "In that event my honor would have demanded it, but I would have given my accuser a chance to defend himself. He clearly did not?"

"But Buquet was chasing him, intending to harm him or capture him. Did he not have a right to defend himself? Or is that right reserved only for the nobility?"

Raoul replied defensively "Of course not. Don't be ridiculous! But he still killed Piangi. I suppose he was stalking him as well."

He claimed that Piangi was an accident. He did not mean to kill him, but he did. He admitted that he was not thinking straight because of his feelings for me. Put yourself in his shoes Raoul, he had never been given any love and he was betrayed by me over and over. Can't you understand him just a little?" She pleaded.

"More than you would think, Lotte." He replied bitterly "I forgave him long ago. He and I were not so different after all. You did the same to me. My family has disowned me and you betrayed me again and again, every day from the beginning of our marriage. You loved him not me. You bore his child not mine, and then passed him on as mine, and caused me to love him. You would have continued to lie about Gustave's parentage except for the fact that I found out that I could not have been his father. You took away from me the one consolation that I had. Yet despite everything, I still love Gustave as if he was my own son, and you would let my family take that last thing from me. You will not allow my family to deprive me of my son, or you for that matter. I went against my family's wishes to marry you and I will never give you up and let them win. Gustave _will_ be the Comte de Chagny someday. I will not let anyone change that fact. It is the one thing that our ill-advised marriage has gained for me, my son and heir. For that gift I have enlisted De la Croix to have your lover's name cleared. My son shall have his legacy. You will not change that. Do I make myself clear?" he emphasized.

"Yes." She replied submissively.

He pulled out a key and an envelope telling her "Put these in that box that _he _gave you; the one where you keep his ring." She looked at him in surprise that he knew about it.

He continued "It is a letter for _him,_ if something should happen to me. Do it right now. Go get your box, and bring it here and let me watch you place them inside, you write him a note too." He insisted. "My family is planning something drastic I can feel it!" He said

She complied. When she was finished he looked at her. He gave her a sad and tired smile, almost as if he knew what was about to happen.

"Listen Lotte, despite all that has happened I still love you. I always will. I need you to know this that I have forgiven you no matter what may happen in the near future." He told her softly. For a moment she could see the boy that he was reflected in his eyes.

"What are you talking about Raoul? You sound like you believe that something will happen to you." she asked worry etching her voice.

"My life has been threatened repeatedly. It might happen any time. Why do you think that I hired de la Croix and some other men to guard us? I have made some powerful enemies in the Boulangist camp. I had been employed by the President to feign sympathy for their cause, and then I infiltrated them and betrayed them. They know that I did, and the government is now prepared to protect itself against a suspected coup attempt. They know that it was me, and they have threatened my life for betraying that. Even Philippe will not dare stop them from killing me if they can, in fact he will encourage it to solve all problems at once. He is not incapable of being ruthless to keep the family intact from what he deems a 'corrupting influence.' I am in danger and you are in danger as well, particularly from Philippe. He would use an attempt on my life to end both yours and Gustave's. If it happens you must do what you can to survive. De la Croix is the only one that I have trusted with this. I have told him that if something happens that he is personally responsible for getting Gustave to safety. The only place where he will have some degree of safety is with his real father. The man may be my enemy, but he is a master of survival. He will not allow anything bad to happen to our son." He told her.

"No Erik would defend him with his life. But what if he is dead? Or won't take the boy? It has been a long time." She told him. "How will de la Croix find him?"

"How else? Madame Giry. She was in the Phantom's pocket all those years ago. He would have left her with some sort of way of finding him. I would if I were in his shoes. I don't think that the Phantom would reject either you or Gustave. One thing that I will reluctantly admit is that he loved you back then. He would not have changed." Raoul told her. "Unless you think that he is dead?" he conjectured.

"No. I would know if he were. He has always kept a place in my mind, even after all of these years intuitively I know that he lives." She admitted reluctantly.

Christine could see the hurt in his expression but then he continued "Yes. I have seen that. He has always stood between us. He is more of a Phantom now than he ever was in the old days. Our marriage never really stood a chance to succeed, not with _him_ and your memories." He told her sadly.

"I am sorry for everything Raoul. I never meant to hurt you." She whispered regret lacing her voice.

"I know Lotte. Despite everything I said earlier I know that you are a good person. You gave me as much love as you could with a divided heart."

"I am sorry Raoul." She told him. "I truly am. I do love you in my own way."

"Yes, I know Lotte, but not in the same way that you love him." He replied.

"No, Raoul. Not in the same way." She admitted "But you and I do share a special love, I will never leave you for him, you know, no matter how I feel."

"But I may be taken from you anyway." Raoul told her.

"No Raoul. Please no…" she said. "I couldn't bear it if I lost you."

He looked at her knowingly and smiled. "Yes you could, you would still have Gustave and _him." _

He paused to look at her."If they make a move to harm us, you must make everyone think that you are dead, even Gustave, until the threat has ended and the plotters are apprehended. If they think that either one of us are alive they will hunt us down and kill us. Philippe will not want you to live. They have infiltrated all branches of the government including the gendarmes. You are still notorious and would be easily recognized so you must let de la Croix smuggle Gustave out of France apart from you. You should go to Erik's former lair and hide there until someone comes to find you. No one but you, I, the Phantom, the Persian and Madame Giry know the way. You can live there secretly, as he did, until someone comes for you."

"Please Raoul don't talk that way. Why don't we all flee here tonight together as a family? Why should we stay here and at their mercy?" she asked.

Raoul looked at her haughtily "If you don't know why then you have never understood me. I did not hide from your Phantom, and I will not hide from these men either. I am a de Chagny a descendant of Kings and Comte's. I will not shirk my duty to my country. I will not hide out and cower like an old woman."

"But is your sense of honor worth sacrificing your life? If these men were so dangerous why did you put us in harm's way to begin with?" she asked.

"My brother's friends would turn France into a dictatorship, intolerant of anyone who did not share their narrow views. I could not allow that to happen when I could stand up to stop it. The last Kings and Emperors have done nothing for us but lead us into costly wars. They would have us fight Germany once again and lose even more men and possibly more territory."

They heard a noise and shouting coming from nearby.

"What was that?" Christine asked fearfully.

A shot was fired. There was more shouting and commotion.

Raoul looked at her in alarm "It has begun already. They have come, even sooner than I expected. Philippe obviously sent Maman as a last attempt to get what he wanted and when he didn't, he decided to let his friends take care of both problems, my betrayal of their cause and the inheritance. My brother has always been a cold man. He would betray his own brother to further his cause."

Raoul barred the door started throwing papers around and pouring kerosene from the lamps in the room on anything flammable.

"What are you doing Raoul?" Christine asked in concern.

"We have little time left we must do as the Phantom did that night. When the time is right, create confusion by lighting a fire and use it for you to escape." He told her. "If there is no fire or confusion they will know that you are still alive. A fire worked that night for _him_ to escape perhaps it will work for you."

"You said 'you' you will not try to escape as well?" she asked with concern.

"No Christine. I intend on making my last stand here. It will help create the confusion that you will need to run. Find a way to get a message to the Phantom, he will come for you we both know it. He will help you and Gustave." He told her.

"No, Raoul, you come too." She pleaded.

"We are trapped in here with no way out, but de la Croix is nearby. I am sure that he heard the shots as well and he is bound to come, with some of the men, at any moment. If he cannot get to us on time to save me, and they come through the door first, you must stand behind me and drop down as if hit immediately, let me take the bullets. Hopefully de la Croix will arrive and they will run before they can find out what happened to you. When the time is right, set a fire and flee, as the Phantom did, don't let anyone see you. If de la Croix does not come on time to scare them away we might both be killed, but at least I am giving you a fighting chance to make it out."

"Why not set the fire now and we both try to flee in the confusion?" Christine asked.

"Because it will never spread fast enough to do any good, we are out of time." He told her. Do you hear that they are at the door? Remember to do as I say."

The doors burst open and shots were fired by several men. Christine screamed, but Raoul quickly pushed her down to the floor before collapsing from an onslaught of several bullets. Christine felt a bullet graze her shoulder as Raoul fell lifelessly at her feet. His blood pooled around her and surrounded her. She was in pain from the wound, but tried to stay focused and very still until de la Croix could arrive. She prayed that he was close by. She could not afford to lose consciousness and be taken to a hospital. If anyone found out that she lived, Raoul's attempt to save her could still fail. She had to see it through. She heard some more shots and heard more voices recognizing that of de la Croix. Through narrowed eyes she could see the men retreating, as de la Croix came upon the scene with several men. She saw one of the attackers fall but the other two fled, de la Croix's men followed in pursuit while de la Croix came over to both her and Raoul to see if they were still alive. Raoul's lifeless eyes stared up to the ceiling vacantly.

De la Croix, bent over her and bellowed for someone to call for a doctor. She focused on what Raoul wanted her to do, and she pointed to the box and then told him about Madame Giry. She was about to give him a message for Erik but she felt a wave of pain come over her and closed her eyes. Just then Gustave burst into the room and put his arms around her and cried "No Maman don't die. She whispered into his ear "Please, tell your father that I am the Phantom now, tell him to find me in his lair. I will wait for him." He looked at her in tears and confusion as Simone dragged him away and they were followed by de la Croix leaving her alone for the moment. She prayed that he would understand and pass on the message somehow. She closed her eyes for a moment, almost giving up, but she thought about Gustave, and how she would never see her angel again if she did not find the strength to move and set the fire. She felt a surge of energy and scattered flames from the fireplace all around the room. She could hear people scurry about but no one stopped to see her. They were busy checking everywhere to make sure that no other attackers were hiding. It provided her with a short window of time to spread them around, and then leave.

She prayed that no one would notice that her body had disappeared in all of the confusion that was taking place. As far as de la Croix was concerned she was dead. He had been instructed to protect the boy at all costs. She could only hope that he had followed instructions and left as quickly as possible to protect him. She slipped into the servant's quarters and stole a dress and crept out into the dark night heading in the direction of the Opera house. She knew that when it was rebuilt that they had followed the original plans so everything was the same as she remembered. She found her way to the lair safely without triggering one of Erik's old traps. Fortunately the bullet had only grazed her and she stopped the flow of the blood using anything that she could find to do so. She slept for several days after collapsing in exhaustion. She knew then that from that point on she would have to live as Erik once did, without the drama, to escape detection. She would have to steal food from the kitchens, when they were closed, and scavenge off of whatever was in the other cellars, at least until she could be sure that no one was looking for her. In the meantime she prayed that Gustave was safe and that de la Croix had found Erik.

An eternity had passed and she had remained below and fairly undetected. She had no way of knowing what had been going on in her absence or whether it was finally safe. Did Raoul's plan work? She now understood completely how Erik had once felt, being so alone with no one to talk to. She wondered how he could have stood it for so long, when she felt as if she were going crazy, down below waiting for something to happen, some signal to make her know that it was now safe to come out. The problem was that she trusted no one, at least no one that she could find. Perhaps she would go out but she remembered Raoul's words that the Boulangists were everywhere. What if she were discovered?"

She knew when she first started hiding that it would be a long time before Erik could come even if he did get the message. She could only hope that by some miracle Gustave would give Erik her message and that her angel would understand. But she knew how unlikely that would be. How she wished that she had time to tell Gustave more. Perhaps she would have to take her chances soon, and leave, or be condemned to live in the darkness of the lair forever. She had lost track of time but she knew that it had been a while. Her only solace was that Erik had a huge library of books to read, and had filled the closet of her room with clothing. When she wanted to go to scavenge she would wear Erik's discarded clothing, she cut them down to size and even found an old mask and wig to make anyone coming across her believe that she was Erik. His scent was everywhere even after all the years that he had been gone. Where once she feared him, she prayed that he would someday return and free her. Her situation was not without irony, that night that he took her, Erik had wanted to get out of his prison and he did forever. She was now condemned to his darkness without him. Perhaps it was her punishment for betraying him in the past, to be bound and chained in darkness with no way out and no one to care. Strangely though even without his knowledge he was unwittingly protecting her, if food were missing or a shadow passed, she would sometimes hear someone say that it was the Phantom doing this or that. How she wished that he was once again a man and not a Phantom to her. How she missed him, even after all this time.


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you TMara, MarilynKC, Kitkat, MissFleck 734 and Judybear236. I think that is all of you who have made your presence known to me in the past few chapters. This story is dedicated to you and to the handful of unknown readers as well. If you did review recently and I omitted you accidently I will honor you next time.

Chapter 12

The next day was Christmas. The McGraws arrived at the house with the new puppy in the carriage. They had never before visited the Destlers in the mountain chalet, as Gustave had renamed it. Unlike in previous years, the house took on a glow of warmth. It seemed to be a lot less gloomy than it had been since Gustave arrived. Darius remarked to Nadir about the change in both the house and in Erik. It would seem that they had both come alive for the first time in years. The McGraws brought each of them a variety of gifts including Erik's gift for Gustave, a little Golden Retriever puppy which he handed to Gustave. Gustave was extremely happy with his gift. He had always wanted a puppy but Raoul had forbidden it. It would seem that he was not that fond of dogs despite his aristocratic upbringing. He did keep a pack of foxhounds in the country estate, but he did not allow Gustave to view them as pets. Gustave named him Beau on account of his strikingly good features. The boys were off quickly chasing the puppy around. Erik smiled at the boy's obvious pleasure but at the same time he was starting to wonder if he hadn't perhaps overindulged the boy in his attempts to be a good father to him.

Nadir looked at the glow of contentment on the boy's face and turned to Erik and told him "You see, doostam, I was right. You are a natural father."

He met his eye "My technique is simple, give him as many gifts as I can to keep him happy, I am not sure if it is good parenting or if I am just surrendering to him out of self -preservation or perhaps selfishness."

Nadir smirked "Must you always be so negative when I am clearly giving you a compliment?" He turned to George "Erik has never learned to accept praise from any source, he is afraid that it might contain some hidden agenda or criticism. For a man with little experience in child rearing he is doing wonders with the child. On the days that Gustave is not in school, they are constantly coming up with new ideas for inventions. Erik and Gustave are also composing a collaborative opera which they have titled _Le Fantome de l'opera, _in French of course."

"An autobiography? I have noticed that Erik is quite modest about his many gifts." George replied.

"Erik prefers to dwell on what is wrong in the world. He seems to relish living in the gloom." Nadir added.

"I do not need to spend my existence gloating over everything that is good in my life. A little modesty has never hurt anyone." Erik replied.

"This is the first time that I have ever seen you admit that you have any good in your life." Nadir replied.

"Perhaps because I never did in the past. This is the first Christmas that has ever been worth celebrating although it still feels wrong without Christine." Erik told them with a touch of melancholy.

"We have tried to introduce him to some eligible women in town. He does not seem to have interest in any of them." George told Nadir.

Erik sighed "They are not Christine. I am afraid that I was spoiled by her. She was my soul mate."

Nadir turned to George "Yet she spent most of the time that they were together in abject fear of him. He has canonized her but she had many flaws, the principle one being her love for another man."

Erik growled angrily "Be careful what you say about her Daroga. In the end she chose me, over the fop. I left her behind so that she would not have the burden of living with me. She was right back then; I was not fit to be a husband or a father. I was too wrapped up in my own self -loathing."

"And you have evolved away from that now?" Nadir asked.

"The boy has made me see things differently than I did before. To be a father I feel that I must set the right example for him even if I am not always sure what that example should be. You gave me such advice yourself in the beginning, Daroga." He told them.

"Yes, and I am pleased that you followed it, and that you have at long last decided to try to make some other friends. This house was very lonely for a long time. It does my heart well to see some happiness within these walls." He glanced over to Simone who was sitting with the female members of the McGraw family "Even the sour puss seems relatively happy. She almost broke a smile." Nadir observed.

Erik looked at George "Was your brother disappointed that you did not celebrate the holiday with him this year?"

"He understood. I do not want to make the trip before the new Marshall arrives from Denver in January. The outlaws are still a problem despite you and Nadir's advice." He told him.

"Hopefully, he can get them under control." Nadir told them. "The advent of winter did not seem to faze them."

"Victoria is pleased that she does not have to cook this year. Is Darius preparing some of that Persian food to accompany the Christmas goose? We really enjoyed it when you had us over to your house in town. It was very exotic but flavorful especially the delicious pilaf and bread." George asked. "I never even knew what saffron was before trying Darius' cooking now I can't get enough of it."

Nadir smiled "Perhaps tomorrow night. We wanted to be real Americans tonight. It is not our holiday but we wanted to capture the authentic Christmas experience. Not even Erik has had the chance to do so until now. He has never had a family to celebrate with."

"No." Erik admitted softly with wonder "This year is the first time that I ever looked forward to Christmas. When I was a small child I would hear my family celebrating Noel but they did not include me. My caretaker would slip me a sweet from upstairs and I would believe that I had died and gone to heaven. At all other times I would eat the same food as the servants."

George mused "I cannot imagine what you must have felt being left out like that Erik. I am sorry that your parents treated you in such a way. If Victoria and I had a deformed child we would treat him the same as the other children, perhaps even better because of his deformity."

"Well there were some superstitions involved. I grew up in a very remote part of Brittany; most of the families there barely spoke French. Breton is a Celtic language that is related to Welsh, Gaelic and Cornish. My family was one of the few that spoke French as their first language. We were granted lands and a title by the French Kings to hold it on their behalf." Erik told them.

"So you are of noble blood as well as your son?" George asked.

"I have never really thought about it but technically I am, if they knew that I was still alive. I ran away when I was seven years old and never returned or even inquired as to them. If I had been acknowledged, I would have been my father's heir by primogeniture and inherited both the Chateau and the title but they made their feelings quite clear to me. As far as they were concerned I did not exist. I doubt that my brother and sister even remember me." Erik told them. "After I was banished to the basement, I only met my brother one time and he was small, my sister not at all."

George looked at Erik sympathetically "That is not right that they should reject you over something not under your control."

"It was the first of many such rejections in my life. Even you weren't sure who or what I was when you first met me." Erik added.

"Something that I have apologized for repeatedly. Since I have come to know you I have long since realized that there is no one more human than you. You have your flaws but you have endured your trials and prevailed." He told him. "You have paid a higher price than most men to win your right to be treated as a member of the human race. I respect you greatly for all that you have endured."

"Thank you George." Erik told him softly.

Right at that moment the boys and the puppy returned. Their happy screams made the house tremble with life."

Erik smiled at them. "Gustave and I have spent a while making both you and Ezra a special gift, something that they use in Gustave's mothers homeland, they are called skis. I first encountered them more than ten years ago when I saw them at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in the Norwegian pavilion. Come outside to my workshop so that I might show you." He smiled at Victoria "I have gifts for you and the girls as well, I had them brought over from my favorite boutique in Paris. We didn't think that you and the girls would want skis."

Victoria laughed "Perhaps I should come with you and look, they sound interesting."

Erik replied "They are, until recently they were used only as transportation in Scandinavia, but people are starting to use them for fun. Of course I had to pick up a book about the proper technique for doing so. Gustave and I spent several days falling before we finally figured out how to use them. We have a long way to go before we will be considered experts."

"Well I hope that no one gets hurt. I am not sure that you were the best person for George to befriend since you seem to allow him to try out some of your toys. What will it be next summer hot air ballooning?" She teased.

Erik smirked "Now that you ask that is a brilliant idea. Perhaps you will come along for the ride and the girls as well. A dress would not be an impediment."

"I'll pass on your offer thank you. I am not even sure that I would permit either George or Ezra to go." She told him.

Gustave told them proudly "My dad is building a real flying machine. He is modifying a design by DaVinci!"

Erik told them "Gustave is premature. It is a long way from testing. At the moment it is just a project that I am playing around with. Despite my acquisition of a lab assistant", he nodded towards Gustave, "I have had little time to work on my inventions. We do not get here often enough to do so, and Olivia Dugard has coerced me into teaching music to several of her more promising students."

"So I have heard. Martha Lutz tells me that you have helped her daughter's playing technique a great deal. She is very grateful to you." Victoria told him.

Erik replied modestly "I am pleased to help, truly I am. I should have involved myself in the community years ago as Nadir constantly suggested."

Nadir interjected "He rarely listens to me. If he did I would have saved him a lot of grief in his life. It took him ten years to acknowledge that we were friends and that I was not some crazy Persian who liked to follow him around."

"You are a crazy Persian who likes to follow me around, but you are my friend as well." Erik teased. "Gustave and I made you and Darius skis as well, if you would like to join us."

Nadir replied "I'll stay here and watch over the women. I have seen you and Gustave attempt to ski. It is a good thing that we have a decent clearing, otherwise you would have hit a tree and either injured or killed yourself already. Have fun."

The men went outside and for several hours they attempted to ski. They all fell a lot but Ezra especially developed an aptitude for it. After they returned to the house Ezra turned to Gustave and told him "Your father is really fun. You are lucky to have him. He invents all sorts of toys."

Gustave agreed "I am lucky. He is a lot of fun and is very kind to me. I was close to my father in France as well. I never thought that I could let another man be my father, after he died. I felt like it might be a betrayal, but I love both of my fathers exactly the same. I just wish that I still had my mother. This is my second Christmas without her." He mused sadly.

"Well perhaps your father will meet someone soon and you can have a new mother. My parents are always trying to introduce him to some ladies. They feel bad that he does not have a wife." Ezra confided.

"My father does not want a wife. He still misses my mother too much, even though he has not seen her in years." Gustave told him. "I have told him that she would have wanted him to be happy but he just looks at me sadly. He gets very sad whenever we talk about my mother. He told me that he loved her too much to let her go."

"Well at least you have three fathers here, and Simone." Ezra told him.

"My father is ready to send Simone back to France. I think that she is still afraid of him, even though we have been here for close to a year and he has never said anything unkind to her." Gustave said. "He wanted to fire her when I was first here but I wouldn't let him. She has been with me since I was born. Her mother was papa's nanny. She is the last link that I have to my old life, and to my French parents."

His friend looked at him sympathetically "That must be hard to leave everything behind like that. My parents left Virginia but at least their families are mostly still alive, and my aunt and uncle live fairly close."

The boys went to sleep, but Gustave crept into his father's suite of rooms, as he often did when he couldn't sleep. Erik usually did not sleep very well; he was haunted by the ghosts of his past, particularly Christine. Gustave found him staring out the window looking at the stars.

"I cannot sleep father, can I stay with you?" Gustave asked.

Erik looked at him with his unmasked face. It was amazing how little discomfort he felt in Gustave's presence without his prosthesis or mask. He had never thought that he could be comfortable in anyone's presence without something to cover it, even during that last week with Christine he did not take it off very often. He smiled at the boy, and welcomed him.

"Of course son, you may stay if you would like but won't Ezra be nervous being alone in a strange house?" he asked.

"He is sleeping soundly." Gustave told him. "I was just thinking about Maman and Mon Pere. I miss both of them so much. It is hard to spend Christmas without them, even if it is fun here. It's not that I am not happy to be with you but I do miss them. Christmas was always special for us as a family back when they were alive."

Erik embraced his son and told him "I understand son completely, although this is the first Christmas that I have ever had the chance to celebrate with a family. I would leave your mother gifts when I was her angel, but it was not the same thing for me. Hold on to your memories of them boy for as long as you can. They will both remain real and not just ghosts if you keep them alive inside your mind. I have spent the last eight years viewing your mother that way. I remember every kind word that she ever said to me, every hug and every kiss. We only had a little time together but it is sealed in my memory forever."

His words made Gustave think and he was suddenly puzzled. "That night that she died, she whispered something to me, which at the time, I did not understand it I thought that it was Pere but he was already dead when she said it."

"What did she tell you?" Erik asked suddenly fully attentive to him.

"She said 'tell your father that I am a phantom now and that he should find her in his lair'." Gustave told him. "Now that I know that you are my real father and that you were the Phantom of the Opera, perhaps her message was not for Pere at all. Maybe it was for you. But what could she have meant by it?"

Erik felt a chill cross his heart as if he had spoken to a ghost but latent hope stirred as well as he considered the boy's words. "I think that you are right Gustave, it was a message for me. Between that message and the one that you told me earlier about meeting in the place where dreams begin, I am starting to truly think so. Since Raoul was already dead, it must have been for me. I suppose that when she died she became a ghost or phantom, which could explain it, but then what purpose would these messages serve? Why not tell you that she loves you? Why state the obvious? Think back Gustave, did she say that she was a phantom now or 'The Phantom'. It might make a difference?

"I don't remember. I was crying and very upset. There was blood everywhere." He said.

Erik grabbed Gustave and searched his eyes "Take yourself back to that moment and run her words by you again. Think of it as a musical composition that you had to memorize what did she say exactly?"

He closed his eyes and let his mind drift back to that night. He could picture his mother. He had thought that she was already dead but he felt her squeeze his hand almost unperceptively. His ear was against her face as he hugged her then he heard her words clearly "It was 'The Phantom' father but what did she mean?"

_It couldn't be possible could it?_ He wondered but he questioned the boy further about that day "Gustave, did you and Simone and Monsieur de la Croix stay to see your parent's bodies removed?"

"No. He and Simone talked after they dragged me away from Maman. We then left taking the servant's exit. Pierre wanted to make sure that no one could see us or follow us. We went to an inn on the other side of Paris. He told us not to leave our room for any reason. Then the next day he was gone for a while. We stayed there for three nights and never left until he snuck us out of the inn, and into a carriage. We drove straight to Cherbourg to board a ship. When I asked about my belongings, Monsieur de la Croix told me that there had been a fire after we left and our townhouse burned down so we could not go back. We did not even stay for the funeral, de la Croix said that it would not be safe" Gustave told him.

"This is an important question, Did de la Croix see to your mother before or after you came back?"

"Before." Gustave said.

"Did he go back to see her after he spoke to Simone?" he asked

"No, he said that she was dead, and that we had to go right away. We did not even pack. Then we could not go back because it was unsafe and because of the fire."

"Was there a fire when you were there with her?" he asked.

"No." Gustave replied.

"Yet whoever killed your parents were gone when you came home?" he asked.

"Yes." Gustave answered. "Simone and I were at the park. She made me stand across the street while she spoke to a strange man. I could see that she was mad at him. Then we heard shots inside the house and screaming. She came back to me and held me tight. Two masked men ran out and then she let us go in."

Erik thought out loud. "So who started the fire and when and why? Hmm if she was 'The Phantom' now then perhaps she meant that she was acting as I did. She was a real person masquerading as a ghost, and perhaps she set the fire to insure her escape. But then if she were alive why not find you and then come to me?"

Gustave looked at him in confusion "Are you saying that you think that Maman is alive?"

Erik replied "I don't know. It is the only plausible excuse that I can give for her words, unless she was just muttering nonsense because she was dying."

"I just remembered. I found a key and an envelope in my Pere's handwriting on the floor in your room. I went in there to see if you were hiding my gift there. I forgot all about it but could it have something to do with my parents?" Gustave asked.

"It could Gustave. Go and get them and bring them here so I may look. Erik told him.

Gustave complied and brought both items to Erik. He examined the key; from what he could tell it was a safe deposit box key, but where? He then opened the letter.

He hoped that it would contain some sort of clue as to which bank that the key belonged to. It was strange that the fop would want to trust him with anything, but de la Croix did tell him that he had taken great pains to clear Erik of any criminal charges, opening the door to his return to France. Even though Raoul had accepted Gustave as his son, a part of Erik still wondered about the Vicomte's reasons for clearing his name, after all as far as Raoul had been concerned, he was still a dangerous psychopath. If he had been in Raoul's position, he would have done the opposite, and continued to seek his demise. He told Gustave to leave him. He did not want the boy to see the letter just yet.

He opened the envelope and removed the letter. He smirked as he saw the Vicomte's perfect handwriting that had no doubt been instilled in him by a governess. Erik's handwriting was elegant in its own way but was entirely self -taught and therefore lacked the conformity that most tutored writing contained.

_Monsieur Destler:_

_You may find it rather strange that I have chosen to trust you of all the people in the world, but I have little choice in the matter. You and I have had many differences but mostly because we both cared about the same person and would gladly give our lives for her. By now perhaps you know the truth, that you are a father. I should have hated you for taking Christine, and defiling her. At first I did. If I could have found you wherever you went I would have gladly tied a noose around your neck just as you did to me. But I would not have let you go. For me you were both a madman and a monster. But time has intervened and the gift that you unintentionally gave to me was too bright for me to sustain my hatred of you. Gustave is the son that I never would have had, but for you and Christine and your relationship. He and I spent countless hours together, both before and after I found out who his father was, and he was my son in every way that mattered. I started to wonder how terrible that you could truly be, if you could create a boy of such nobility of mind and spirit. Christine told me of all that you had suffered, and I realized then that you were more victim than victimizer. My hatred fled completely, as I began to understand some of your true nature and your motives. I realize now that most of the bad that you have done was to protect yourself from a hostile world. I do not condone your actions but at the same time I cannot entirely condemn you as a person._

_Not long after my discovery that Gustave was not mine, my brother Philippe offered me a rapprochement. The family would take me back if I would pledge both my wealth and influence to General Boulanger and his movement. I refused him. My family had long held my marriage to Christine in contempt feeling that she was a common stain on an otherwise noble line, and a foreigner to boot. My brother is both unmarried and without issue. I believe that he might favor men over women despite his past relationship with La Sorelli. Regardless he has shown no inclination to produce an heir. I am still his heir and of course Gustave is second in line after that. Imagine my astonishment, when Philippe threatened both my 'foreign wife' and her 'bastard' if I withheld my support for his cause. I have never told anyone about my condition, and Gustave's true parentage, because I did not want to compromise either Christine's reputation or Gustave's claim to our family's legacy. Gustave may not be a de Chagny by blood but he is my son in every way, which means that the title and any fortune both rightfully should belong to him. It is my greatest wish and more important to me than my own life. I will not see him reduced to the status of Christine's nameless bastard and Christine humiliated, at the whim of my awful brother and mother. Philippe further incited my anger by telling me that he knew that you were Gustave's real father and that he might pass on your deformity to our line. He told me that if such a thing occurred that it would be my fault for bringing the scion of a monster into the family. I asked him where he had obtained his knowledge and he only smirked at me and said "Did you never learn the lesson that our father taught us long ago? Servants talk, and many of your servants used to be ours. I know all about your empty bed, as well. Since your wife does not even love you, I cannot see why you are so loyal to her. If you do not disown both of them, and set her aside for a proper wife, I will have no choice but to solve the problem in my own way."_

_My brother gave me a murderous look, which rivaled the one that I saw in your eyes that night. I was frightened by what I saw, but I could not back down. I would not disown either my wife or my son, even under threat from him. Perhaps you would not understand, but as a man of honor I could not be compelled to do what I don't believe in just to stay safe. I decided there and then to hire de la Croix and to clear your name just in case. I may not particularly like you, given our past history; also because I know that I was Christine's second choice. Yes she confessed everything to me about your week together. I could not forgive her, but I could not stop loving her either, or Gustave. I did all of this for two reasons, one because someday I knew that Gustave would learn his true parentage and I did not want my son to be the child of an executed felon, but more importantly I knew that you fiercely protect the people that you love. I felt that both Christine and Gustave might one day need your protection and I wanted to be sure that you would be able to provide it. _

_De la Croix used his connections in every way to assure that you would have no trouble with the law if you returned to France. We even paid the Opera Managers, Piangi's family and the Buquet's to claim that the whole 'affair' involving you was an elaborate hoax and that Piangi's death and fire were both accidents, and Buquet was drunk and fell into ropes. I believe that my family will not rest until either I renounce Gustave or he is dead. If I have no heirs, then my money will become my brother's and he would be free to use it to fund the Boulangist movement. My title, position and remaining money would be passed on to a distant cousin. Philippe is a rabid believer in the Boulangist cause. He would like to see either the monarchy or the Empire restored and war with Germany. Like many fanatics he will do whatever it takes to see his goals achieved, even killing his own brother if he gets in his way. _

_I have made a sworn affidavit and a codicil to my will, confirming Gustave's position as both my son and heir, even if others would challenge his paternity. I have changed my will to make you his guardian in case of my and Christine's death. I am enclosing a key to a safe deposit box in the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas at 3 rue d'Antin near the Opera Garnier. I took the precaution of naming you a co-owner of the box. In it is the affidavit, codicil, and various deeds stock certificates, and other items which upon my death, will be vested in Gustave. You are the only one that I can trust not to betray me, because as the boy's true father, it would be in your best interests to see him invested with his legacy from me. Despite all the bad blood between us, I am sure that even you can see the advantages that he would have as the Vicomte de Chagny. My brother will not sit by idly and watch Gustave take them, so he must be protected at all costs. So you see, you and I currently have the same interests. I trust that you will take up my mantle and fight to achieve them. If something should happen to me, find Christine and the boy. I will tell her of the danger and advise to hide in the place where only you can find her. If I do not survive, you must help her, and if you still love her after all this time, you have my blessing to marry her. Just promise me that Gustave will stay safe and that you will fight for his right to be my son in name, and carry on my legacy. God bless you and keep you safe, my old enemy, for in this fight we are natural allies. _

_Raoul de Chagny_

Erik looked at the letter in his hand and for a moment did not know what to make of this new information. It explained the reasons why he wanted Erik to raise Gustave, and who might be responsible for his death. It also reiterated the hope that Christine might still be alive and had been waiting for him all of this time. It had been over a year since she had been reported dead. Could Christine have made it safely to the lair and been living there without being detected. Even he could not remain down there without some assistance from Antoinette Giry. Also there was the fact that he had not been there for seven years, and it had been ransacked by the mob. How could she remain there in the ruins of his old life? It was terribly lonely down there, he could barely retain his sanity living down there in the darkness and yet he had spent his entire life alone. How could she do it? They would have to return to France and find her.

He had not heard from de la Croix even after making several inquiries over the past six months since he had left Colorado. The man had vanished into thin air. But if Christine were alive his life would be complete for the first time. He would have what he had always desired more than anything else a real loving wife and son, a family who he could love and who loved him. Last Christmas was like all the others in his life, dark and dismal. This Christmas was the first that he had ever enjoyed. Like he had done for Raoul, Gustave had brought light and joy into his life. For the first time ever he did not want to die, or lock himself away from the world. He wanted to give Gustave everything. Who would have guessed that the fop and he would want the same outcome? He stared out the window looking into the night sky, and looked at the stars, just as he used to do long ago on the roof of the opera house. He thought about his old rival, and for the first time felt his hate ebb away, replaced by a feeling of gratefulness to him for loving their son. He could not hate a man who had knowingly raised his enemy's son, and had given his own life to protect that same child, his child. He looked up to the sky and saluted his old enemy. He would never think of Raoul as his enemy again. How could he after he had made the ultimate sacrifice and martyred himself for both Gustave's and for Christine's sakes.?


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Erik did not reveal to anyone, not even Nadir, what he had learned. He did not want to interrupt the Christmas holiday with his own speculation. He wanted to enjoy the day with his friends, but he knew that their time of peace was at an end. He could not waste any time knowing that Christine might still be alive and out there waiting for him to come and bring her to safety. By now, if she were alive, she must be wondering whether he even still lived. While he somehow had always felt a connection with her, he was not sure whether she still possessed the same sense; perhaps she had grown to prefer the boy after all despite what she said in her note. He was pleased that his previous feelings had not been wrong. It meant that he could still sense her even after all of these years. He did not know whether or not to bring Gustave with him or leave him in Colorado, away from any potential enemies. If the boy remained in Madison, he would be away from him and his ability to protect him would be compromised. He and the boy had grown very close ever since they had decided to drop their defenses against one another and acknowledge their mutual love. It would be hard to spend months apart from him just when they were getting close to one another.

Erik had never known the satisfaction that a father and son bond could bring, having been rejected by his own father. It had breathed life back into his broken soul. He did not think that after he left Christine, he could let himself feel any sort of love again. It was a vulnerability that he did not seek to have, but of course he could not help but to love his own child. When Gustave accepted him it melted all of the ice away from his heart. Gustave would not let him hide away in the dark. He would seek him out if he was not around for very long, asking all sorts of questions and seeking his advice. For the first time in many years Erik had begun to play the piano once again, and even could feel the music stir from the far reaches of his soul where it had been exiled to for so long. Sometimes they would compose together and laugh and sing. Gustave did not have either parent's ethereal voice but it was still good.

It was going to be a hardship to travel. Madison was not easy to get to, which was why he chose it to begin with. There was a train ride to Denver, which was slow and lengthy due to the height of the mountains in the area. Many peaks reached 10,000 feet or higher, the narrow gauge railroad had to wind its way along Clear Creek to Denver. The area was prone to avalanches or snowstorms in December and January, and therefore the trains would have to be careful as they made their way through the Front Range to Denver, and that was only the first leg. They then had to make their way east across half a continent after that, and sail across the Atlantic to France. The whole trip would take close to a month, at minimum, possibly longer. In the winter the Atlantic was rough and the scheduled crossings were not as numerous as at other times. The ships had to travel more carefully to avoid icebergs. He did not know if it would be better to wait until the spring to travel, but if Christine were alive, he wanted to come to her aid as soon as he could.

When their guests left the next day, Erik decided to broach the subject with Nadir. It was fortunate that neither Gustave nor Simone could speak Farsi because Erik wanted their proposed visit to France to be kept secret until such a time as the arrangements were finalized. Nadir proposed keeping the boy in Colorado, but Erik was afraid to leave him without protection. He believed that if they traveled under assumed identities that they could go undetected. Erik's prosthetic face made him look far different than the half masked Phantom that he once was. Few had ever seen him regardless. He and Nadir debated the necessity of contacting the Giry's to tell them of their impending visit. It was thought that it could alert the Vicomte's enemies of their presence if they were watching, but surely by now their guard would be down. It had been over a year since the incident occurred, and the Boulangists had lost their bid for power. The de Chagnys remained a threat to them. Erik did not know for sure whether or not they were behind the attack but it seemed likely given what Raoul had told him. He could not believe that Comte could be so despicable, but then again he had already threatened his own brother. What kind of man would do such a thing? Of course, in Erik's personal experience, he had been rejected by his own family so perhaps his parents were not the only people to despise their own flesh and blood. He, of all people, had borne the brunt of hatreds of all sorts. He knew that his father had died. If so, then his brother must have accepted that Erik was dead and no doubt inherited everything. He had no trouble accepting that, as far as he was concerned his family did not exist.

It was decided that they would return to the house in town right away. They had intended on staying on the mountain until after New Year's but the new information made that more difficult. Erik wanted to arrange their passage to France, and hopefully to Christine. He wanted access to a telegraph, mail and phone lines none of which were accessible on the mountain. Gustave was naturally curious about the letter. Erik did not want to get his hopes up that his mother could still be alive only to dash them. Nadir wanted to wait until the spring when the passage might be easier, he reminded Erik that if Christine were alive that a few months might not make a difference. If she were dead it would not matter at all.

After de la Croix's arrival, Erik, for the first time in many years, had arranged for Parisian Newspapers to be delivered to him, so that he could scan the news for any signs of the investigation. The mail between Paris and Madison was glacially slow and thus the papers would be very old by the time Erik could scan them for news. As Erik perused a three-month old newspaper he was stunned to read that de la Croix had been found murdered. His manner of death was even more disturbing. It was said that he was found with rope burns around his neck indicating a broken neck. There was some speculation that reputedly dead Phantom of the Opera had done it. De la Croix was reported to be asking a lot of questions about the de Changy murders and the de Changy boy was missing as well. De la Croix had been the lead Inspecteur of the Phantom. It was the one commonality between all three murders. Servants had stepped forward and claimed that the Phantom was the father of the child. If that was the case there would certainly be a motive. More ominous yet, Gustave was declared to be a bastard and stripped of both his title and inheritance, all reverted to the de Chagny family.

Erik read these speculations with alarm. He had counted on de la Croix to help him, but now with him dead, his proposed trip to France had become extremely dangerous. Even if Erik were to come with his prosthetic face, Gustave could be recognized or even Nadir. Whoever was behind the murders certainly knew what to do to thwart him, and cause speculation. Of course Christine was worth the gamble, but he would have to be more careful than he had planned to be. Perhaps Nadir was right to insist that they should wait until spring, or maybe it would be wiser to send Nadir in his stead to look for Christine. But the Persian was also known to be an associate of his. What if he sent Nadir to his death just as he had done with de la Croix? A little more than year ago, life had been simple even if he were dead inside; Gustave had his parents and he was far away from the drama taking place in France. He had never had any desire to return. France held too many painful memories for him. He liked the crisp air and serenity that his seclusion had given him. Of course if things had remained as they were he would not have Gustave, or the hope that Christine might still be alive, and their love reclaimed. He was torn by indecision, something completely unlike him.

He was still troubled at dinner time when he and Gustave were invited to the McGraws. He was very quiet during dinner which worried his friend. When the meal was over he invited Erik aside to enjoy a cigar and brandy while Ezra and Gustave went off to play. George looked at his friend as told him.

"You don't look well Erik. You are not the smiling man that I saw at Christmas. What is troubling you?" he asked.

Erik did not know whether or not to tell him, on one hand it would be good to share with someone who did not know the situation. He could give a more balanced view. On the other hand he would have to expose some of his shameful past to do so. He had never spoken of his worst crimes to George before. He was afraid that he would be seen as the monster that he once was, not the better man that he strove to be. Still he was burning in anguish over what to do. The Daroga always gave him good advice but he knew that he would tell Erik to stay in Colorado with the boy and let him handle it. He was not sure that he wanted Nadir to risk his life for him yet again. He also longed to see Christine and hold her in his arms once again. He did not want to wait months for that to happen no matter how logical it might be.

He decided to chance rejection, and tell George a little about the past. He never before had anyone but Nadir to share his thoughts with. Nadir knew too much about his past to disengage himself. George knew too little. It was time to correct it.

He looked at George and squared his shoulders ready to begin "My past is catching up with me and is placing a burden on my shoulders. I am indecisive as to how to solve the problem."

"Would you like to talk about it? I know that you have not been anxious to speak of your past, but you can trust me. You did save my life." George told him.

"My past is something that I am not terribly proud of. I told you before that I have lived on both sides of the law. There was a time that I took many terrible actions that I would love to change but I cannot do so." Erik told him.

"Yes I understand Erik. We have all made mistakes that we would like to change. It is part of being human. I was a soldier once, and had to order people to ride into almost certain death. I had to write letters to their families explaining their bravery, all in the name of a lost cause." George told him sadly.

"My actions were not under the color of war George. If they were, I could live with them. I was once an extortionist, kidnapper and murderer. I was once told by Gustave's mother that my soul was as twisted as my face; for a long time it was. I got away with most of my crimes without punishment; but now when I am actually innocent, I am being accused of crimes that I did not commit. I have recently discovered that Gustave's mother might be alive. If she is in danger, I need to rescue her and bring her to safety, but in doing so I risk my own life and possibly Gustave's. If it were just me involved I would gladly take a chance. If I were arrested, even if I were innocent of these crimes, justice would still be served. I would accept what fate has handed me, I am not afraid of death. But I cannot let Gustave lose another father, it would be too harmful to him, he might never be able to get close to another man, as a father again." Erik told him.

"I am sure that you were not as bad as you believe yourself to be. Whatever you were in the past, you are a good man now. In the months that I have known you I have never seen you do anything that was ungentlemanly or dishonorable. I knew that you were capable of killing from the moment that we met. You dispatched those two ruffians with a skill that could have only been attained with much practice. But I have seen the love that you bear your son, and the good works that you have done in the community. Our country was founded by people who wanted to both better themselves and escape their past. Some of them were murderers and other sorts of felons, but like you, many of them have thrived on second chances." George told him.

"But what do I do? How do I rescue Christine if she is alive, yet keep my boy safe, without running the risk that he will lose another parent? I am torn between them both. I do not want to choose the wrong path." Erik asked. "What would you do?"

"I know what you will do, and it is not necessarily what you should do, but I can see it in your eyes that you will go and try to rescue Christine, even at the risk of your own life. You do not trust anyone else to do it. What you should do is have someone else go for her and bring her here therefore not putting your life at risk. As you said Gustave has already lost one parent. If she is alive I am sure that Christine wanted to assure Gustave's safety over anyone else's. It is what a parent does for a child. If you insist on going leave the boy with us we will look after him. Since I am aware of what is going on, I can look out for him and keep him safe for you. If you do not return at least he will be with people who will take care of him." George said.

"That is a generous offer, George. I would trust you to look after him. You are right I should send another but if she is where I believe her to be only a few people would be able to get to her safely. She is likely in my old home which could be found only by taking several circuitous routes, which I lined with various devices designed to harm any trespassers. Only Christine, Nadir and Madame Giry knew the way and me of course. I had to keep myself well protected against intruders who could seek to harm me." Erik told him.

"What if you sent this Madame Giry in to get her? She is still in France correct?" George asked.

"She is a frail old woman, and a known associate of mine, she might be under surveillance by anyone desiring to take care of me. Also I would not risk her life to help me my problems. She has done enough for me in the past." Erik replied.

"What about Nadir? If he has been with you then he is not being watched. Surely he could protect himself and her." George told him.

Erik sighed "An olive skinned Persian man still stands out in Paris. He again was a well-known associate of mine. Anyone looking for me might find him and bring him to harm. How can I hide behind him and live with myself if something happened to him? I have been responsible for too many deaths already."

George thought about it. "What if I went with you? You have a Prosthetic face and I am not known in France. I have never left the United States. We could pose as American businessmen looking for investors in Europe. Nadir could look after everyone here and protect them while you are gone. I know that you place great confidence in his abilities. Let him protect your boy."

Erik shook his head no and dismissed his offer "It is unthinkable, you have a wife and three children to look after, you are also the judge and mayor of this town who would work in your stead?"

"I would not have a wife or children, or even be alive if it wasn't for you Erik. I am a former cavalry officer and am not afraid of a fight. I had to fight off Indians and criminals when I first settled here. I am well able to defend myself and help you. I am a Virginia gentleman, we look after our friends. I would be proud to stand at your side Erik." He told him.

"I will think about your offer, George. Truly I will. It is very generous and tempting as well. I would be eternally in your debt should I allow you to do so. It is a position that is new to me and would not be terribly comfortable." Erik admitted.

"In case you have forgotten, I am already in your debt. We are friends aren't we? Friends do not allow other friends to ride into danger alone. You will need someone with a cooler head to be with you in case that you run into trouble. You will be too wrapped up in rescuing your damsel in distress to be objective." George told him.

"There is one other job that I would have to undertake there which may be riskier yet. I have a key to a safe deposit box containing valuable assets which Christine's husband the late Vicomte de Chagny entrusted to me on behalf of the boy. The de Chagny's have stripped the boy of his title and heritage by claiming that he is my bastard son, and not a true de Chagny. Yet the Vicomte explicitly named the boy as his son and heir. While the boy does not need either the title or the money, de Chagny died to preserve his claim. Despite my past feelings of hatred for him, I truly mourn his passing, as that of a good and honorable man. He knew my boy's true origins yet cherished him as his own son. I owe him a great deal for that, and do not want his death to be in vain. He was a good father and gave Gustave his love. As a man who has had little love bestowed upon him, I know what a precious gift that Gustave was given by de Chagny."

George smiled "You sound like a Virginian with this talk of honor. Our honor sent hundreds of thousands of men to their deaths on both sides during the late war. I understand what you mean, but do not allow that sense of honor to keep you from returning home to your boy. He will love you even if you fail. Honor will not protect you from an unnecessary sacrifice. As an American, the boy does not need either a title or his other father's riches here. Claim his legacy only if you can bring it home to him, and remain alive and well. That is what Gustave would want if you bothered to ask him."

"Am I to let the Vicomte's murderers survive, and not pay for what they have done?" Erik asked.

"Did you not tell me that you had once extorted and killed, yet you escaped justice, or so you say" George observed.

"It is not the same, once I regained my faculties I realized the horror of all that I had done." Erik told him. "I punished myself."

"Yet you give yourself no pardon." George replied. "You still punish yourself for your crimes."

"Sometimes at night I am haunted by my victims. I was once known as a ghost but it is I who is haunted. I am ashamed of the monster that I used to be." Erik admitted.

"But you are not that man anymore. It was another lifetime long ago. I am a judge and have seen all sorts of monsters. A truly evil man would not care about what he has done, or try to atone. Let's wait a couple of weeks for the new Marshall to come to town, and then we will go together and bring both Christine and Gustave's inheritance back here to Madison. When we are done, you will truly be able to put everything bad that you have done or that has been done to you, in the past where it belongs. We have a College to build, and an opera house as well; to challenge the one in Central City." He told him.

"Check with Victoria before you make me any promises. She will have to spend several months without you, and traveling with me is not without risk, de la Croix is dead. Should you be discovered to be aligned with me, my enemies might go after you. Do you really want to take the risk?" Erik warned.

"I would not offer if I were not serious. I don't see that you have any other choice, you cannot do this alone, and your other friends are well known by both the villains and the French authorities. You need me there to guard your back in case something goes wrong."

Erik knew that George was right. If something were to happen to him, he needed someone who he could trust to help. Nadir was more than capable of protecting Gustave. He knew that his new friend was offering him a solution, and he was grateful that he would offer him unconditional help. For the first time in his life Erik felt that he had found acceptance, despite his hideous face. George had been weaving him into the fabric of the town as well. He was treated no different than anyone else; even though most of the people in town knew that he wore a Prosthetic face. If a man as honorable as George McGraw trusted and befriended Erik, then that was enough to make him almost universally liked. He couldn't wait to find Christine, if she were still alive, and bring her back to Madison. He had no doubt that they would make her feel just as welcome as he and Gustave. For the first time in his life he looked forward to the future. A future without hate or fear to prey upon either him or the people who he loved and cared about.

It felt good to be surrounded by such people for the first time. He felt almost normal.


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you to my few but steadfast core group of readers, for your kind words and support. I am rewarding you with this chapter. It is my favorite that I have written in this fic so far. I hope that you enjoy it. Please keep your Kleenex handy…For any of you who might prefer a clean chapter it does contain some minor profanity and tasteful T or minorly M rated content. I don't think that it will offend anyone but, just in case, you have been warned. I will be really sad if I only get a couple of reviews like I did when I revealed that Christine was alive. I had hoped that it would bring people out of the woodwork. I will be even sadder here if that happens. Well here goes….

Chapter 14

Christine went to what had been Erik's desk from where he penned his various notes and marked off another day from a calendar that she kept there. She recently stole it from the manager's office on a late night run because she had lost track of time for so long. From this point on she wanted to keep track of the date and the year. It was New Year's Eve, the next day would be the beginning of the last decade of the 19th century, but time did not matter down in the fifth cellar. She remembered the September day more than a year before when she first came down into the cellar for protection. She did not realize at the time how long her sojourn in the dark cellar would last, but she knew that it would be a long time. She was counting on the fact that the Girys knew where Erik was, yet it was only a hunch that they did. She started to wonder if perhaps she had been wrong and her angel had died long ago. Perhaps her faith in her Phantom was somehow unwarranted. Maybe he was dead.

Erik had always seemed to be almost a supernatural being to her, yet he was just a man. She sometimes regretted that she had listened to Raoul and let de la Croix take Gustave. She missed him so much. He must be taller and stronger than before. What kind of mother abandons her child? It might have been better if she had taken Gustave and fled France, instead of counting on de la Croix to find Erik, and bring their son to him to safety. She thought that it would be safer for Gustave if the world thought her dead. The de Chagny's would let down their guard if they thought that their only remaining obstacle was a seven year old boy. De la Croix did not find Erik before; perhaps the Giry's did not give him any leads. Now she could not know if he ever successfully found Erik; certainly if he had, Erik would have returned to find her. She left clues that, put together might make him realize that she was still alive; and waiting in his lair. There was the message that she gave Gustave for him, and Raoul's note, and her ring and note as well, and of course there was the unspoken connection between them that both of them had always felt from the beginning of their time together. She had always been able to sense him. She felt as if he sensed her as well in the same way. She lived in his mind as much as he did in hers. Why then did he not come find her? Didn't he care?

For the first time she started to think that it was time to leave and find the Girys. Perhaps if she left using her Phantom disguise, no one would discover that it was her. After all she had been 'dead' for more than a year. A voice inside her head begged for her to remain patient, she had taken this path and she had to give it a little more time. Knowing Erik he had retreated to somewhere difficult to get to, such as Tibet or Iceland. If so, a year might not be long enough. But suddenly she was gripped with a feeling that she needed something of him to give her comfort, to remind her that her sacrifice and loneliness had purpose. In all the time that she had remained in hiding she had never entered Erik's old room. It seemed that it would be a violation of his privacy, even if he had not lived there in years. He might have left evidence of secrets that were his and that he did not want to share, but she was feeling so distant from him, and from Gustave. She missed both of them with all her heart. She could not stop the strong urge that compelled her to go into his room and look though his belongings. She hoped to recapture the essence of the man that she still loved beyond all reason, beyond time and distance. It was one reason why she had chosen his old home as her shelter. She had felt that by doing so she was safe and under his protection, as she had been as a child.

She closed her eyes and remembered that long ago night when he first brought her here. She had prayed with all her heart that she could somehow meet her angel as a man. After her stunning performance she retreated to her dressing room to give thanks to him for making her dream of becoming a prima donna come through. She strongly felt his presence and she begged him to come inside for her. Suddenly he appeared in her mirror and beckoned her to join him. She touched the glass and was shocked to find that his leather gloved hands were real. He gently closed his fingers around her own and led her into his world. How mesmerized she was by her angel and his domain in the fifth cellar. He looked even more handsome and magnificent than she had ever imagined that he could be. He was so imposing that it seemed as if he were one of the Gods in Valhalla that her ancestors worshiped. His voice was even more majestic and musical than before. When he touched her with his leather gloved hands she could feel a spark of excitement light a fire of passion inside of her that she, in her innocence, had never felt before. It was the night that she changed from a girl to a woman, not because he had any intent to despoil her and take her innocence, but because their relationship had changed forever, at least in her mind.

He had awoken a feeling inside of her that saw him not as an angel, or a teacher, but as a desirable man. If she had not unmasked him, and then drawn away in fear at both his deformity and his temper, they might have both come away with a purity of feeling in their mutual love; but like the Apple in the Garden of Eden, the mask presented to her an irresistible longing to find out what lay beneath it, and unleashed the events that would topple him from his domain, and eventually alter their mutual destinies forever. She wished that she had the ability to go back in the past and alter that moment for the better. She would have waited for him to trust her enough to remove his own mask. Then all would have remained as it should have been, as fate had ordained it to be. She would have gladly been his queen, and helped him rule over his secret realm, or perhaps they both would have left together and found a place in the world for both of them. He might never have turned to madness and murder, and she might never have turned to Raoul.

She opened the door to his former chamber, lighting a candle to guide her. An eerie shiver ran down her spine, as if opening that long closed door would open a portal to a different dimension. When he lived there he would never let her in that room, and even until this moment she had honored his wish. The mob had spared the living areas of the lair; they ransacked only the sitting area surrounding his massive organ. Erik had obscured the entrances to the other rooms, perhaps in the hope that they would provide a final sanctuary for him, if his other defenses were breeched. As she went inside his long abandoned sanctum, Christine was shocked to see that there was no bed in the room; instead she found the most magnificent casket that she had ever laid eyes on. It dominated the room like an unfinished monument to a solitary man. It was not a bedchamber, it was a mausoleum. 'This was his tomb' she realized with a gasp of despair. On the top of the casket was a brass plate engraved with his name 'Comte Erik de Rennes' with a message _Here lies the remains of Erik, Comte de Rennes, known and feared by many as the Phantom of the Opera. A man too hideous to bear the title of man; whose fate was to die as he had lived, alone, unloved and un-mourned. His only desire was to live as a normal man. _Tears formed in Christine's eyes as she remembered how she had betrayed this man several times, when he had only wanted her to save him from his lonely fate. Despite their innate connection she had never, until that moment, realized how profoundly sad that he must have been to erect and sleep in such a monument to his own despair. She could tell that he had used it as his bed, it still had a blanket and a pillow inside which faintly bore his scent. She was happy to think that at least it was empty, and perhaps he did not replicate it wherever he might be at the moment. One thing had changed which she hoped had transformed him at least a little. She had proven to him that someone in this world did love him, thereby sparing him from his self-proclaimed cursed fate. They had shared too much during that glorious week long ago, for him to ever again feel that he was unloved or un-mourned.

She smiled as she remembered the very first time that they made love in the cottage on the road to Calais. It was the night that she had arrived, and he was still doubtful of her love.

"_Are you sure that you want to kiss a monster once again? There is no boy here, at my mercy, for you to purchase his freedom from me with your love. There is only you and I and if we go too far, it could ruin your reputation forever. I do not want to turn you into an outcast, as I am."_

_She smiled at him "You are no outcast Erik, not in my eyes. When I kissed you back in Paris, I knew that it was you, and not Raoul, that I really wanted and needed. I am sorry that I took so long to realize what you already knew; that we were of one soul and heart."_

"_Are you sure that you know what it would mean if we don't end this here and now? I could be arrested and executed at any time and you would be left alone. I committed many unforgivable crimes." Erik told her._

"_That is why I do not want to wait for a priest or church to cement our bond Erik. What if you are taken from me before we have a chance to truly know one another, in every way?" Christine replied. "I want you to experience love in every way."_

_Erik looked at her and took her hand and squeezed it gently and told her "You don't understand what you are asking of me. It would be wrong for me to take you in this way. I would be the beast that I have been accused of being. I do not want you to feel consumed and trapped as you once feared that you would be. You are not my prey, you are my love."_

"_No Erik, you are far from a beast, you are a man, a very beautiful and desirable man, and I want to give you the love and happiness that you have never had, you deserve it." She told him passionately._

"_I deserve none of it, given my past. I deserve to rot in hell, as I have always done. You will regret making love to me, if we succumb to our urges now." Erik averred._

"_No, if you are captured and executed it will be the opposite. I will regret that I did not show you my love before it was too late. Let me give you this gift, I want to show you my love. Please." She pleaded._

"_All right my love, I cannot deny you, if it is what you truly want from me. I cannot deny you anything, even this. Not when I want you so much. I need you to complete me. My soul matches my face when you are not around me. I am only half alive without your love." He pulled her to him and gave her an intensely passionate kiss. She returned it fully burning his deformed lips with her own. Her lips ached for more kisses; her body throbbed in torment begging for his touch. She was a virgin but somehow her body knew his and beckoned to him, as if they had made love hundreds of times. In the heat of their shared passion, Christine forgot why she had ever denied him or thought him hideous. He was spectacular._

_Christine closed her eyes and then envisioned the long ago moment when Erik first tentatively explored her body, searching for what he could do to pleasure her. She did the same but when he finally disrobed she could see his scars. _

_She gasped in horror "You were not born with these scars how did you get so many?"_

"_My body tells the story of my life, mon amour. It has not been a happy one, and I bear many scars from the past both visible and invisible." He whispered. "Don't cry for me, I cannot stand to see you do so. I want you to be happy. It is why I sent you away from me that night in my lair. Your happiness is all that I have left to live for."_

"_I want the same for you, ange. You are a beautiful man inside your heart and soul; the most beautiful man that I have ever known." She could see his aqua eyes darken with pleasure and passion at her honeyed words. _

"_Thank you Christine. You have no idea what that means to me; no one has ever called me beautiful in any way before." He breathed._

"_It is the truth Erik, no one has taken the time to see it before, but I do see you for who you really are, who you were meant to be. You are a good and beautiful man deep inside where it matters. I am sorry that I ever doubted you." She told him fervently._

_He paused and looked at her in momentary disbelief "Yet, you told me that my soul was distorted. What have I done to make you see me differently? I am still the man who murders, who deceived and kidnapped you and almost killed your fiancée. How have I changed from that man Christine? Why would you think that I am better than that? Perhaps my soul was pure and good at one time, but it is tired and debased just as you said." He told her bitterly._

"_No Erik, you are wrong. I was wrong. Let me show you. Take me now and make me yours for now and for all time. I don't care about what happens next only what happens now. I want to show you what love truly is. I will prove to you that you are worthy, that my love for you is strong, it will overcome all restraints if you give into it and let me love you as you were meant to be loved." She pleaded softly._

"_When you speak to me in that way, I cannot help myself. I am a normal man in my urges Christine. My heart and my soul beat only for you." he rasped his voice flushed emotionally._

"_If it is true then finish what we started, stop speaking of taking me and let us love one another. If de la Croix takes you from me tomorrow there will be no regrets, only sweet memories." She told him._

_He smiled gently. His aqua eyes lit up in adoration "No regrets then, mon amour." They made passionate love again and again that night in the nights that followed. During the long years with Raoul their lovemaking never came close to what Erik had given her. He set her entire body on fire with his probing caresses. He instinctively knew exactly what she needed to release her hunger for him and she did the same for him. When they were finished they both curled up clasping one another in each other's arms and Christine had felt a strange sense of peace infiltrate her soul. She wondered once again how she could have ever doubted this man. How could she have shunned, denied and betrayed such a pure and loving creature. _

Her thoughts returned to the present as she knew how desperately that she needed her angel, and after living in his shoes for more than a year she understood his actions even more than she did before. She too felt the sting of loneliness that permeated his lair. Still he did not come. In the end perhaps, the coffin might be for her; but yet it bore his name. She never knew that he was a Comte. He never mentioned his family at all other than the fact that his mother gave him a mask because she could not stand the sight of him. She wondered if his family was still alive. She searched his room for more clues as to his past, and surprised to find a yellowed newspaper cutting dated some ten years in the past.

_**Missing Heir to de Rennes Title Sought**_

_L'Epoch has learned from the family of the late Comte Charles de Rennes that the heir to the family Chateau and title has been missing for more than twenty years. The presumed heir to the fortune Vicomte Henri de Rennes confirmed reports that he was not the eldest son of the late Comte, and refuses to lay claim to the title and fortune until such a time as either his older brother Erik comes forward or substantive proof is given of his death._

"_I am a man of honor, and a disservice has been done to my brother. My parents did not acknowledge him to me, until my father was on his deathbed and confessed his sin of denying my brother to his priest and myself. I had been told that he had died, but it was a lie. He ran away from home at the age of seven. He was severely deformed on one side of his face but is of normal or even above average intelligence. There is no reason to believe that my brother is dead and I will not deny him his heritage." A reward of 30,000 francs is offered for any information leading to either the confirmation of the death of Erik de Rennes or his current domicile. Please contact the family through their solicitor._

_M. Rene Trudeau_

_212 Rue de Londres_

_Paris_

Christine read the article and wondered if Erik had answered it. On one hand the casket bore the title Comte de Renne on the plaque, on the other hand he never mentioned a relationship with any sort of family. She decided that, true to character, he probably did not come forward. He would never trust his brother's motives to be pure, and he would never risk rejection. It was interesting that Erik would berate Raoul for his fine horses and noble blood and yet he was just as noble as he was. It did not make a difference to her whether or not Erik was noble. Eight years as a noblewoman had made its allure less appealing. She remembered her confrontation with Raoul's mother on that last day and how she had held Christine in such contempt, offering her money to abandon her son, and sign a paper publically admitting that Gustave was not Raoul's son. The woman was horrible. She recalled the conversation.

"_I have come to you to warn you that you are in great danger my dear, as is Raoul and your son." she told her. "I want to help you."_

"_What are you talking about?" Christine replied._

"_Philippe and his associates do not like Raoul's betrayal of them when he denounced the Boulangist movement to the Republic. Worse yet, for you, Philippe knows that your son is the son of the Phantom of the Opera and not a de Chagny. He will do everything that he can to stop your bastard son from inheriting our title and holdings. I agree with Philippe that our family must not be represented by a mongrel bastard born of a Swedish peasant and a deformed monster." She told her snidely._

"_There is nothing that he can do, even if what you were telling me is true, Gustave is no bastard, Raoul has acknowledged him as his son and heir. Gustave will inherit his name and legacy. There is nothing that you can do to stop it."_

"_Foolish girl, it will not be me who will harm you. I am appealing to you because Raoul will not listen to his own brother. Philippe has tried to reason with him to no avail, Raoul is too stubborn and honorable for his own good. Philippe will use ongoing political turmoil as a cover to come after all of you. I am offering you a way out, a settlement. You publically admit that you had an affair with the Phantom and deceived my son into marrying you to provide a name to your bastard. In exchange I will set you and your son up in a villa anywhere that you wish to go, as long as you leave France. You will be safe from both Philippe and his friends, and your son will have a comfortable upbringing, much better than he would be entitled to given his unfortunate heritage."_

"_And what of Raoul? He loves me and Gustave? Do you think that he would want this? He is your son. He and Gustave are very close, closer than most fathers and sons. Do you really want to take his family away from him? He will never have another child, no matter who he marries and what her pedigree might be. You would deny him that joy?" Christine asked._

"_He will get over it. Do you really want Raoul to be harmed because of you and your son? Philippe will protect his half-brother but not if he persists in a marriage to a foreign trollop with a monster's bastard as a son. We will not have such a creature bear our family's name and legacy. Philippe would rather see his brother die than dishonor our ancient family name so. Consider my offer Christine. It is your last chance before tragedy will confront you. Tell me that you will do it, and Philippe will protect you."_

_Christine heard a door open and it was Raoul. He looked at his mother with hatred in his eyes. "I have heard every hateful thing that you just told Christine. How dare you come to Christine and threaten her. She is my wife and Gustave is my son and heir, and will remain so no matter what you or Philippe might want or say. You have no power to take Gustave's title from him, or his inheritance from me. No matter whom his sire might have been, by all rights he is mine."_

_The old woman blanched "You are making a mistake Raoul. I am trying to resolve this issue peacefully. This woman is not worthy of the de Chagny name or the title, nor is that freak's son. We will not allow you to destroy this family; by polluting our bloodlines. We are descendants of Kings and Emperors and she is lowly Swedish singer who betrayed you with a deformed madman."_

_Raoul looked at his mother angrily "Get out of my house now, it is you and my brother who are not worthy of our family's name with your false pride. Christine is my wife and will remain so, and Gustave is my son and my heir and will remain so no matter what you or Philippe might attempt to do otherwise. You and the family disowned me upon my marriage and I now disown you. If Phillipe does not want Gustave to be the heir to our title then he better find himself a wife and beget his own heir."_

_His mother looked at them quietly and muttered "I tried to save you but you will not listen to reason God have mercy on all of us." She stormed out._

How ironic that Gustave was of noble blood from the 'deformed madman' after all. Perhaps he might have been a suitable heir to the de Chagny's even with a peasant mother. They certainly could not produce their own offspring. Christine thought to herself with a smile.

When nighttime came, she could not stand the staleness of her cold and dismal home, she felt like she needed to come up to the roof for air. As was her custom, she waited for the opera house to be completely quiet, as she knew that it would be in the hours after midnight, and then she followed one of Erik's old pathways to the roof of the Opera House. Perhaps it was the same path that he took on the night that he heard her betrayal of him. She cringed at the memory, but then she stared up at the starry sky, and inhaled the crisp winter air. It felt as if it had purified her. She could see her breath as it escaped her lips. She longed for the feel of Erik's lips upon them.

She wondered where Erik and Gustave were at the moment. Did they find one another? If so did they bond or did they cast one another aside. Gustave had been very close to Raoul and she wondered if the memory of his father would get in the way of Gustave accepting Erik. She prayed that with all of the many positive stories that she told him about her angel, that it would overcome any issues that might keep them from finding their way into one another's heart. She had taught Gustave to look beyond the surface and into the heart of a person. She wished that someone had taught her that. If only Erik had done so when he had been her angel, then perhaps she would have accepted him immediately, and looked past his face into his heart. Despite her doubts, in her heart she knew that Erik was still alive and out there. She could sense him in her inner most thoughts and core. She remembered the many conversations that they had had when he was her angel and during their one week together. On their last night together, at the cottage, they went outside and beheld the stars and Erik took her into his strong arms and told her:

"_If we are ever parted Christine, look to the sky, and behold the North Star and Orion's belt. The North Star represents you and your Scandinavian heritage. Orion's belt represents me. Like me, Orion's destiny was bound up with a scorpion. He had to slay a scorpion that was sent to kill him, just as I had to slay the scorpion inside of me to make myself worthy of your love. If we are ever parted, whenever you miss me, come out and look at the stars and I will do the same. Perhaps if we are both looking at the same stars we will be able to find our way back to one another no matter how far apart that we have drifted."_

Christine looked at the stars and then closed her eyes beseeching that her angel do the same. "I am your Angel of Music, Come to me Angel of Music."…..

Erik felt a strange eerie feeling, as if someone were calling to him, he felt an urge to walk out onto his widow's walk and look out over the roofs of Madison to the stars. He looked for Orion and the North Star remembering that he told Christine that if they were ever parted, to look at the stars that he would do the same, and somehow they would find their way back to one another. He wondered, if Christine was truly still alive, if she remembered what he had told her on that long ago night. Over the years he had remembered and would get the same eerie feeling. On this night it was more pronounced, as if her spirit was calling to his own, begging for her angel to appear to her as he once had. He could feel a strange sense of harmony as if his soul was destined to be made whole once again. He closed his eyes and imagined her hands exploring his body, as they did long ago. It had been the first and only time in his life when he had existed in a state of perfect bliss.

That memory had kept a small kernel of hope alive throughout all of his silent and empty years. He felt that his life was on a cusp of change, and he prayed that it was for the better. So many good things had happened in the last year. He could only hope that the new year would even be better for him. He wanted to ascertain whether or not Christine was truly alive, and waiting for him to rescue her and protect her and Gustave from further harm. He prayed that it was not his own dreams and aspirations playing tricks upon him as they did in the past. Hope was a powerful tool to use to insure survival when all seemed so dark and dismal; but it could also lead to weakness and despair as he well knew. His hope had been kicked away from him, often violently reminding him of his unworthiness of happiness, in the past. His dreams had failed him over and over again; the hope that his parents would love him, torn asunder by his father's attitude towards Henri when he tried to befriend him. His hope that the Shah would value his genius and use him for good; destroyed by the man's insatiable evil. The hope that a lonely little girl, which he tended to, and nourished would see beyond the horror that was his face into the soul of the man behind the mask; ripped away by multiple betrayals. So much hope followed by so many tears and broken dreams. Maybe this time would be different, maybe hope would prevail and he would finally be allowed to live a real and fulfilling life, and not grope hopelessly in the darkness waiting for death to claim him.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The two weeks elapsed and the new marshall finally arrived in town on a train accompanied by two heavily armed men. At first it was thought that the U.S. Marshall's office had assigned two deputies to come with him. George was surprised, although the criminal gang that had been attacking trains and carriages was still there, they had diminished greatly since Erik and Nadir had agreed to help organize the town populace into watches and patrols, negating the need for more armed marshalls.

The new marshall, Blaine Reddington, strolled into George's office and immediately demanded, "I have a warrant to arrest and extradite a resident of this town, Erik Destler. He is a French citizen and the Embassy in Washington has submitted a request that he be returned to France to face several murder charges there. Do you know this man?"

"The man is a friend of mine, and has spent much time helping me to clean up this town, since my request for a Marshall sat unheard for so long. He and his friends have helped me set up patrols and neighborhood watches that have been so effective that I almost cancelled our request. He saved me from the same brigands who had been terrorizing this town. I find it hard to believe that this man is guilty of any sort of crime such as that. If he killed anyone in France it must have been for a good reason." George replied. "Let me look at this warrant."

The marshall handed him several documents stamped with the seal of the Department of Justice, including an order from a federal district court in Denver authorizing the transfer.

"Why Mr. Destler was not even afforded his right to due process. Have you forgotten sir that we are a democracy? We do not simply seize people without notice. The man has a right to defend himself." George told him.

"This matter was referred to us with great urgency apparently he has kidnapped a child, a nobleman, the Vicomte de Chagny. I have a sworn affidavit from the boy's nanny, Simone Lanthier, that states that the boy is in danger from this madman. She feels that both she and the boy's life are in danger from him. He is under the ridiculous assumption that the boy is his son, and killed the boy's parents to take possession of him. Did you ever hear the story of the Phantom of the Opera, about the deformed madman who fell in love with a soprano and murdered, kidnapped and burned down the Opera Populaire in Paris just to possess her? He struck again last year and killed both de Chagny's, burned the opera house down and kidnapped the son and nanny at gunpoint."

"Erik has already admitted to me that he was that man but at the time, he had his reasons. Let me see that affidavit," George demanded.

_May 12, 1889 Madison Colorado_

"_I, Simone Lanthier do hereby solemnly swear the following:_

_On September 10, 1888 an armed gang of men attacked the townhouse of the Vicomte and Vicomtesse de Chagny and brutally murdered both of them. I saw both die. __With the help of Monsieur Pierre de la Croix we were able to secure the boy and take him away to what I thought would be safety, but apparently M de la Croix was in the employ of M Erik Destler, the former Phantom of the Opera, and forced us to sail to America and bring the boy to his employer. At first I did not realize M de la Croix's intent but later, when we arrived in Madison, Colorado, he revealed to me his purpose. __Both the boy and I live in fear of this monster. He has threatened to kill us if we do not cooperate with him. If help does not arrive I am afraid that we will both die._

George read the affidavit in disbelief. He could not believe that he had misjudged Erik so badly. He had befriended him and took him into his home. The man had entertained him as well. This did not seem to fit the profile of the man that he had come to know although the man himself admitted to him that he had been the Phantom of the Opera and that he had been on _both_ sides of the law. What of their proposed trip to France to rescue the Vicomtesse? Was that a lie, was he going there to kidnap her or kill someone else? But what purpose would it serve for him to travel there if the Vicomtesse was truly dead? Also why would he let George come along knowing that he was an honest man? In truth his innocence or guilt did not matter if there was an order to extradite Erik he had to comply and help carry it out. As a judge, George was an officer of the court, he would have to turn his friend in to the Marshall but in his heart he could not believe that his friend was so profoundly evil. Gustave had been to his house many times and seemed to truly enjoy Erik's company, and even the Simone person did not seem to fear Erik. No it couldn't be right. He would not try and convict Erik in the court of his head without hearing what the man had to say.

He found himself telling Reddington. "Erik is due to appear in my office in about a half hour. I would like the chance to speak with him before you arrest him. I would like to hear his side of the story first, and then I will let you take him."

"Very well, if you consider this man to be a friend then I will give you your time. I will remind you that you are obligated as mayor and judge to turn him in. I will tell you that I have heard that the French are most anxious to have this man in custody but I do not have any personal grudge against him. This is the first extradition that I have ever handled in my twenty years as a marshall. Destler could attempt to appeal his extradition to the Circuit Court once he reaches Denver." Reddington replied.

"Keep your men well hidden before I speak with Erik. I want to question him in a relaxed setting. I will tell you that I do not believe that this man is guilty of the act that he is accused of. As I told you he is a personal friend, and saved my life. He also employs around half of the people in Madison. I expect you to treat him with dignity and respect. He is a very cultured man, not the average guttersnipe prisoner." George told him. "I will suggest to him that he go to Denver and fight this extradition. He intended to return to France anyhow to address a private matter; I was going to accompany him. I will come with him to Denver and serve as his counsel if necessary." George told him.

A half hour later Erik arrived, they had been having lunch together every Wednesday while the boys were in school. Reddington and his men remained in a separate room allowing for the two men to talk. George looked at his friend in concern when he entered. He motioned for him to sit down.

"Shouldn't we get to Maude's before the lunch rush?" Erik asked.

George replied tautly "We must talk first."

Erik caught his friend's discomfort "Did the new marshall arrive yet? I made all of our arrangements. We will leave in two weeks."

George replied "He is here Erik, and he brought me a warrant to arrest someone here in town."

Erik looked at him but George looked away sheepishly.

"Who?" Erik demanded.

"You." George pulled out the paperwork and the affidavits, "Read these, and then please explain. Tell me whether or not these allegations are true."

Erik scanned the documents and looked at his friend in betrayal and disbelief "And you believe all of this of me? I thought that you were different. What happened to the notion that a man could come here and redeem himself? Does that not apply to me or am I too much of a '_what'_ to be granted the same courtesy as everyone else. I trusted you!" Erik cried.

The irony was that George did not believe it of Erik, but he could not let his words out instead he stammered "Yyyou caaann fight this in court in Denver. I will come with you and help."

"You have 'helped' me enough already. I will not fight this extradition anyhow. I will return to my homeland and face these false charges. I never trusted that woman: and now I know why she is a liar."

George regained his voice and came over to Erik looking into his eyes "Listen to me Erik, I believe you. I swear that I do and I will do all that I can to help you. I am at your disposal. I know that you are innocent of this and I will help you get out of this jam. I am an officer of the court and I must let them take you into custody for now; but you have right to have a pre-deportation hearing."

Erik's anger left him hearing George's words. It was still easy for him to think the worst of people. Many years thinking in that manner did not evaporate in a few months. He turned to George apologetically "I'm sorry if I lashed out at you. I was not angry at you just at the situation. I will not fight the extradition order, not here. We were going to France anyhow both to find and rescue Christine and find and punish the real murderers. This new situation might work to our advantage. I am sure that the de Chagny family and their allies used their considerable influence with the French government to obtain the extradition order. Perhaps the murderers will be brave enough to show their faces now that I have been 'apprehended.' Mademoiselle Lanthier most likely betrayed our location to them, perhaps she has been in their pay all along and it was their way of finding me."

"That makes sense to me Erik. When you were the Phantom of the Opera did you really commit murder, extortion and kidnapping as you were accused of doing? I heard something about that story years ago but until now I had forgotten most of the circumstances. I thought that you were exaggerating your past." he asked.

"Yes, but I have been honest with you from the beginning. I told you that I have lived on both sides of the law. I worked for the Shah's secret police in Persia and was the Phantom of the Opera after that. I will make no excuse for my past crimes, they were wrong but the Vicomte himself obtained a pardon for me. These new charges are completely false and without any merit whatsoever. Until de la Croix brought me Gustave I had nothing to do with any affairs in France. I did not want to remember that part of my life. I did not even know of Gustave's existence, let alone kidnap him. I have proof of my innocence and will present it at the right time." Erik told him.

"What can I do to help?" George asked

Erik looked at him and ordered " Go to my home and tell Nadir and only Nadir to look where I keep my valuables and find a letter and a key which will explain everything and will help me prove my innocence. Tell him, that despite my current situation that his first priority is to keep Gustave safe. Tell him also to send a telegraph to our friend Antoinette and send her to my lair to see if Christine is there. Nadir will understand." He softened a bit "Tell Gustave that I love him and that he will never be left alone and unprotected. I will do my best to return to him but if I don't please tell him that he is the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. He has given my existence meaning for the first time. Can you do all that for me?"

"But what about you? We must get you freed and your name cleared." George asked.

Erik shrugged. "Once Christine is reunited with Gustave, he will at least have one parent to care for him. If I do not survive it will be inconsequential as long as the two of them are made safe. My main focus is to keep both Gustave and Christine alive, and if I can to give him the legacy that the Vicomte gave his life to keep for him. If I don't and Christine is dead, I have a brother who might take care of him. If I have to die to achieve those goals it will be the least important sacrifice. I have never held my own survival in high regard. Do not sacrifice either their safety or yours to insure mine. "

"I will go to France anyhow to help you. You saved my life and that of my family and I want to return the favor." He told him fervently.

"You owe me nothing, as I told you at the time I did nothing that anyone else of conscience would have done if given the opportunity. I knew that I could come to your aid and therefore I did. My familiarity with killing was of benefit to you." he told him casually and unemotionally.

"But yet many would have worried because they might risk their own life to save mine. I will not let you make light of what you did. I am a man of honor and I will repay my debt to you just the same. Even if I were not in your debt I would help you. You are my friend."

"You have no idea how important that your trust has been to me and your friendship as well, George. Until I met you, I was never treated like a normal man, not even by my own family. You and Victoria took me under your wing and gave me a feeling of belonging somewhere. Even if I die I will always be grateful to you for that." Erik told him emotionally.

George clasped his shoulder and looked into his eyes "This is not the end for you, my friend. While you may find your survival to be inconsequential I do not. I look forward to enjoying many more years of friendship with you and to meeting this Christine of yours if she is still alive. I will do what you have asked of me, but then I will be on the next train to New York myself. If I am lucky perhaps I will beat you to France and have you squared away before you dock. Never underestimate a Virginia gentleman. During the war it took ten Yanks to beat one of us."

Erik laughed "I have no doubt of that George, if your accomplishments are as large as your ego, the French government will be apologizing to me for inconveniencing me. You may call for the marshall to return. I am ready." Erik told him.

The marshall re-entered the room with the two armed men. He immediately placed Erik under arrest, and put heavy shackles on him.

"Is that really necessary Reddington? Erik is a gentleman. He will not harm you." George pleaded.

Erik smiled "Do you really think so George? I have done many things in my life that would scarcely be called 'gentlemanly behavior.' Erik smiled at the men who had just put the shackles on him. "I suggest that you each sleep with one eye open the monster might snap and bite you." He told them.

George looked at Erik and replied "Is it really wise to bait these men Erik? They are just doing their job?"

"As I am mine. It is clear from both the restraints and number of guards that they feel that they must guard me closely. I feel that I must make them earn their keep. " Erik replied wryly.

George turned to the marshall. "Please tell them to treat this man kindly and with dignity. Also find out which ship he will be transported on. I would like to come over at the same time as my friend. I plan on taking an extended absence to help him clear this matter."

"He will be on the next train east to New York via Denver. There he will be turned over to the French who will decide the form of transport for him." The marshall looked at the men. "I hope that you will treat this gentleman fairly while he is in your custody. I will be checking with your superiors to make sure that no indignities are bestowed on him."

He turned to Erik "I did notice that you are wearing some sort of facial covering. I would ask that you remove it."

"I would request that I be allowed to wear it for the comfort of the deputies here. I do not think that they would like to spend the next week looking at my poor excuse for a face." Erik told him.

George turned to the marshall "Please allow him the dignity of wearing it. I have seen Erik's face and I understand his need for sensitivity on this matter. For him to remove it would be the same as me telling you to remove your pants and undergarments. You would not ask a prisoner to strip naked and ride around in such a fashion and you should not ask Erik to remove his prosthetic. When Erik returns here after this unpleasantness is solved you will want to retain a decent relationship with him. He is by far the richest man in the area, and is well regarded here in Madison. I would hate to see the people turn against you right when you have just arrived." He admonished.

"Very well." The marshall replied. He turned to Erik "I hope that you will understand that I am only doing my job, that I bear you no ill will. If you are indeed innocent of this heinous crime then I bid you good luck and look forward to establishing a good relationship with you. Do I have your word that you will not escape if my men remove your shackles?"

"If I truly felt the need to escape, your shackles would not deter me. I am going willingly." Erik replied.

The marshall looked at the men "Remove the shackles and let the man ride comfortably and with dignity. I expect for you to treat this man well. You will answer to me if he is treated otherwise."

The men nodded. "We will do so. You have our word."

Erik smiled at the two men and asked them, in a friendly manner "Would you care to go first class? I would prefer a private car given my 'exotic looks'. Why should we be made to ride uncomfortably? I will pay for all of us to go in that manner if it is alright with the marshall here."

Reddington replied "Once you are out of Madison, I have no reason to care how you travel as long as you do not try to escape custody."

Erik turned to the men "What about you?"

"We would be most happy to do so sir. Thank you for your offer." They replied.

"Good now that we have that matter settled you may take me. Goodbye George, marshall."

George immediately went to Erik's home, Nadir was in the mountain house but Darius and Simone were there. He turned to Darius "Erik has been arrested and will be returned to France to face a murder charge. You must fetch Nadir and bring him here I need to speak to him immediately. He looked at Simone who looked at him with a vicious smile.

"I saw your affidavit. Why would you do that to Erik? Has he been unkind to you in any way? How can you betray him in such a way? and Gustave as well? You know darn well that neither you nor the boy was in any danger Erik would give his own life to see Gustave safe." George told her harshly.

"You do not know what you speak of. I have only pretended to tolerate him, but I know who and what he is. The man is a monster. He is the Phantom of the Opera. You think that because he seems like a tamed lion here that he is not really a murderer at heart? Perhaps he was not guilty of these particular crimes but he escaped punishment for others. I am doing what I can to keep the boy away from him. He will go back to his family in France, the de Chagny's. I am to take him to them. He is the Vicomte and must be with his own family not a murdering monster." She spat.

"Erik has warned me that the boy is not safe in France. I will not let you take him there where he will be in danger." George told her.

"As if you have any choice in the matter. I have been waiting for this day to come for a long time. It has been unbearable to live here in this awful place with that monster so nearby. I have stayed only to watch over the child." She pulled out a court order in French and a letter in English from Comte Philippe de Chagny. "This is an order showing that the de Chagny family has the legal custody of the child. Here is a notarized note from the Comte authorizing me to return the boy to his family. You may read it, it is perfectly legal. Mr. Destler has no right to the child nor do his friends. You may have the court order translated into English if you do not believe me." she told him.

"I do not trust you Miss Lanthier. You and I will go to the school and speak to Olivia Dugard she reads and writes French I believe I wish to confirm the validity of this. I know already that you lied on the affidavit, you have already admitted to it."

"I did no such thing I said that 'Perhaps he is not guilty of these crimes' as a hypothetical, not that he wasn't." she told him. "I will be taking custody of the boy and we will set out for France immediately."

"You will do no such thing. I will question the boy myself; he was a witness to the killing of his parents. The more that I speak with you; the more that I know that I am right. Erik is innocent of these crimes and you are putting the child in danger. How can you send the boy back to France when you know that he might come to harm. You have taken care of him since he was an infant?" George accused.

"The boy will be safe, I was assured of that by the Comte himself." She told him. "It was a condition for my cooperation."

"And why would you need such assurances if the boy was not in danger to begin with? I find it interesting that you admit that you needed such 'assurances' for your cooperation if Erik was the murderer and kidnapper. Perhaps you did because you knew that you would be bringing the boy from a safe place to a dangerous one. It is clear Miss Lanthier that you have made a fatal slip. "

The nanny looked uncomfortable. "I did no such thing. I will be going to the school to collect Gustave now and remove him from this place. He, the Phantom has clearly gotten to you."

"Yes let us go to the school miss. I would be interested in Gustave's view of the events in France and his feelings towards his father as well. Since Mr Destler is now in custody and no longer a risk to the boy, if he was in fear as you claim, he should be relieved since he is no longer in clear and present danger. I am sure that he will be most interested in your version of the truth and how you betrayed his father."

"He will defend the Phantom because he has received a few trinkets. The boy is only confused." She stammered.

"Your affidavit claims that he is in fear. I am the judge in this community. I believe that it is within my authority to take the boy into my custody to determine the veracity of these charges. After all a man's life and reputation is at stake and therefore it is my duty to determine that his accuser is telling the truth. In this country we do not try and convict people of a crime based on innuendo, the standard is that he must be 'guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If there is any thought that a witness might be perjuring themselves that in and of itself is a criminal offense punishable by a prison sentence. I am sure that you will have nothing to worry about if the boy is in agreement with you and fears Mr. Destler as you claimed."

She looked at him fearfully "You would not dare. The de Chagny family is very powerful and will not look kindly on you if you should detain the boy and me."

"The de Chagny family may be powerful in France, but I am the power in this town, and am well respected throughout the state. I may not have been able to delay the extradition order due to Mr. Destler's inexplicable desire to see this matter settled promptly. He and I were intending on leaving for France within the next week to settle Gustave's status. I have remained behind only to make sure that the boy is kept safe, and that certain arrangements can be made. I will tell you that if I find that your affidavit contained any false information, I will hold you in my jail until my return, and then turn you over to the district court in Denver personally to pursue a perjury prosecution. Perhaps if you would like to retract this affidavit, and replace it with something more accurate I could be compelled to reconsider my actions but that will be up to you."

"I will think about it, sir." She said, with her voice beginning to sound shaky.

"You have only until after I speak to the boy to reconsider, after that you will be prosecuted if the boy disputes your account. I must get this matter resolved one way or the other. I must board the afternoon train to Denver to help my friend. If he tells me that you are lying you will rot in jail until I get back from France at least."


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you to TMara, Miss Fleck 734, MarilynKC, kit kat, grandma paula, judybear236 and finally trrmo77 for your continued reviews and support. Trrmo77,Thank you for your thoughts. I agree that the title could make people mistake it for, heaven forbid, an RC. My description clearly states that it is EC. I have a tough dilemma which of is course that if I get even more explicit I lose the surprise that Christine is indeed alive. Of course if, after all the clues that I dropped, a reader does not pick up on them, then they are not reading closely enough. I originally intended not to give any clues, and have it come out of the blue. But due to my worry that EC readers would not stay long enough to find out, I decided to leave lots and lots of clues. The only thing that I did not do was announce it. The other day I added a whole blurb to chapter 1 to try to entice readers to stick around. It has helped a little, but more than average are still leaving in droves after chapter 1. Oh well, I do have enough readers to have me stick to my original plan of a full blown story. I guess that 'killing off Erik' in my next story would not be a good idea.

Chapter 16

George and Simone walked to the schoolhouse together in stony silence. George could see Gustave playing on the playground with Ezra. The boys had become best friends in the matter of a few months. He would make sure that Gustave remained safe if it was the last thing that he did. He owed it to Erik to do so.

Olivia looked at him and Simone curiously. She could see the tension between them, and wondered why they had suddenly arrived at the school together.

George looked at her "I must speak with Gustave immediately. I must question him regarding an urgent matter regarding his father. Do you have a place where we can talk?"

"Yes of course, George." She replied with concern "Do you need me to sit in on it?"

"That might be wise." George replied.

Olivia turned to the oldest child, McGraw's daughter Eugenia "Can you keep an eye on the other children and let them play outside for a little longer? Mayor McGraw and Miss Lanthier have a matter to discuss with Gustave." She asked

"Yes of course Mrs. Dugard." The girl replied.

"You are a good helper Eugenia. Thank you." Olivia told her "Gustave come here we need to speak with you."

The boy stopped playing and looked over to them in alarm. "You have done nothing wrong child, we just need to speak with you."

George pulled out the French documents and handed them to Olivia. "I will need you to translate these as well. I know that you speak some French."

"Yes, as you may recall, I went to finishing school in Geneva before the war. It was a fantastic experience."

"Yes of course I do, you came home in all of those pretty European frocks. You were the Belle of Fredericksburg for a while; you caught the Dugard boy's eye as well as half of Spotsylvania County. I still remember how grand I thought you were Livy, even though I was a boy when you were out there wowing all of the young bucks."

The schoolteacher blushed "You always had a way with words George. That's how you lured me out here to the Wild West."

They all entered the school house. George turned to Gustave.

"Have a seat my boy. I need to tell you that your father was arrested today. He has been accused of harming your mother and father in France and arranging for you to be kidnapped. He is on a train heading east as we speak." He told him gently.

"That is a lie. My father did not even know of my existence. You know that he is a good man how could you let them take him after he saved your life?" Gustave asked angrily.

"I had no choice Gustave. I am an officer of the court, and cannot disobey a federal court order. The new marshall only presented me with the court order when he came into town on the train today. I believe in your father's innocence which is why I want to get to the bottom of this. Your father cannot harm you here Gustave so you may speak freely. There have been claims by some that you fear him."

"That is not true Mr. McGraw, my father has been nothing but kind to me. You have seen it yourself. Whoever says that is a liar. He may look different than other people because of his face, and maybe even at one time he may have been scary, but he is a good father and he loves me and I love him. Please help him." Gustave pleaded.

"What about your late parents the Vicomte and Vicomtesse de Chagny? It is rumored that there was some bad blood between your father and the Vicomte and that he kidnapped your mother. Did you know that your father has killed before? Has he ever spoken of it to you?" George asked him gently.

He glanced at Olivia and also Simone who looked very uncomfortable.

"It is true, my father and my Pere, the late Vicomte, were once enemies but that was long ago. All three of my parents have explained everything to me at one time or another, Mr. McGraw. My father had a terrible childhood and did many things that he was not proud of in the past, because he wanted to fit in. His face made people treat him poorly because they could not see past it. He became angry and bitter and gave up on people. Then he met my mother and they became friends and then he fell in love with her. My mother was afraid of him because of his face and his temper, and didn't understand him. She turned to my other father, mon Pere, the Vicomte to protect her from him. My father grew angry at my mother and mon Pere he felt betrayed by her rejection and he did many bad things, including killing. But he was crazy from not knowing any love in his life, not even his own parents loved him.

"Because they thought that he was an evil man, mon Pere decided to trap him, and either kill him or turn him over to the police. My father felt betrayed again, he kidnapped my mother and my Pere followed them, he captured my Pere and almost killed him, but then my mother made him see reason and he let both of them go. He fled the Opera House and his friend took him to her cottage near Calais where my mother visited him. She had realized that she loved him and not my Pere but my father did not want my mother to live a hard life, so he let her go back to my Pere. She married my Pere but then had me. She was very sad because he did not take us with him when he came to America but she always told me what a good person that he was. She called him her angel. When I came here I was a little scared because of what I had heard from others especially Simone, but after I got to know him I realized that he was a good man inside. I have only known him for six months but he has never been anything but kind to me. He has taught me so many things. If Simone says that I am in danger and afraid of him she is lying. The danger comes from the real people who killed my parents my Pere's family and their friends."

George looked at the boy and told him. "That was very well said Gustave. Your father would be proud of you for standing up for him, just as you did when we first met."

He turned to Olivia "Why don't you take Gustave outside to play with the others and then come back inside and we will discuss this matter some more. I would like you to witness my conversation with Miss Lanthier."

Olivia and Gustave got up. Olivia took Gustave outside as requested. She returned and sat down with them once more.

George turned to Simone and queried "You see Miss Lanthier the very first time that Gustave, his father and I met, Mr. Destler saved my and my family's life and I almost shot him by mistake, but this boy who you claimed was afraid of Erik bravely stepped in front of me and chided me for misjudging Erik. Are those the actions of someone who is afraid? Surely he would have done the opposite and let me kill Erik if he were afraid. Would you like to stick to your fabricated story and face a perjury charge or come with me to the Marshall's office and retract your statement? What did they pay you to make you lie?"

Simone looked afraid. George could tell that she was struggling with what to do. She glanced at Olivia nervously as if to plead with her for support.

Olivia turned to her and said "I have known George for most of my life he is a kind and fair man. He just wants to know the truth. He knows that you have been lying to him, and he needs you to be honest. If you have done anything wrong he will help you but you must trust him first."

"Please don't put me in jail. They did not pay me anything. They are terrible people, monsters, Mr. McGraw. They promised me that they would not harm Gustave if I cooperated." She told them tearfully.

"Who promised you this?" George asked gently. He could see the fear in her eyes.

"The Comte de Chagny, He is the devil incarnate. He knew that in the past I had an abusive husband who I ran away from. He came to me and told me that he would return me to my husband if I did not spy for him."

"So you did, and betrayed your employers?" George asked.

"I had no choice. I did not know that the Comte would murder his own brother."

She told him sadly "He would have returned me to my husband who would have killed me."

"Why would he kill his own brother?" George asked.

"I don't know for sure but he did." She replied.

"How do you know this?" He asked.

"Because I was there, I saw and spoke to the Comte that day." She admitted.

"Please explain what you know." George told her but more sympathetically.

"Alright" she said nervously "I do not want to go to jail." She began her story_ "When Gustave was three I heard the Vicomte and the Vicomtesse arguing. He told her that he could not have fathered Gustave because he was sterile. He asked her who the father was. She would not say and told him that it was him that there was no one else._

_He didn't believe her and then he asked "Was it him?" _

_I then heard her ask 'Who do you mean?' but I could hear it in her voice that the Vicomte had guessed the truth. _

_He sounded even angrier and I heard him say 'you know exactly to whom I am referring, that monster, the Phantom. Who else?'_

_I could not hear her answer if she gave him one. _

_I heard him say 'You do not have to answer me Christine. I can see it in your eyes. It was him; it has always been him, who has come between us. I should have guessed, you had no relatives to visit that week, the one that you were missing before our wedding. You went to see him.'_

_He stormed out before she could answer. I could hear her weeping but I could tell that it was the truth, what he had asked. Why else would she have not denied it?"_

_Simone stopped and collected herself for a moment. George could see that she was trying not to cry._

"_Go on." He told her gently._

"_I went in to see the Vicomtesse and comfort her. She turned to me and asked 'You heard us didn't you?' I answered truthfully 'Yes Madame La Vicomtesse, I did.' _

'_So you think that I am a fallen woman, a terrible wife.' She asked me._

'_I am not one to judge you Madame La Vicomtesse. I am only a servant here, not your confessor.' I told her._

'_I would have gone with him, if I could have, but he left me alone I had nowhere to go, and I did love Raoul in my own way. I still do 'Was that terrible to deceive Raoul?' she asked me._

'_No.' I told her 'I have done many things as well to survive. I was married once but I had to run away. He hurt me. He would kill me if he found me. What choice do we women have? We live in a man's world. We have few options open to us. I would have done the same as you, if I could have. He loves Gustave you know.'_

'_I know.' Christine replied."_

Simone looked at George and Olivia woefully "Of course I told the Comte everything. I did not want to but I had no choice. I never would have believed what happened later. I did not see the harm really. He was his brother." She told them.

"Would it have changed your behavior?" George asked. "Would you still have betrayed your employers?"

"To tell the truth, I don't know. It would have been my life or theirs. But he continuously told me that the boy would not be in any danger. Even now he has promised me. I would give my life for the boy." She told them.

"And yet you helped them get to Mr. Destler?" George intoned.

"They promised me that no harm would come to the child." Simone repeated.

"But the Comte killed his brother and the Vicomtesse." George offered. How do you know that it was him?"

"_The Vicomtesse sent us out to play while the Dowager Comtesse dropped in to speak with her. I knew that it was an unusual request because the Vicomte had been disowned by his family when he married the Vicomtesse. As we left, I saw Philippe standing outside of the house. I still did not have a reason to be overly suspicious, I thought that perhaps he had brought the Dowager Comtesse and was waiting for her outside. I saw the Vicomte heading for the house, as well, and he stopped to speak to the Comte. I did not stay to find out what was going on because I did not think that it was important. I was told to take Gustave to the park and so that is what I did." _

"How long where you gone?" George asked.

"Around an hour and a half." She replied.

"What happened when you returned?" George questioned.

"_It was horrible. I saw the Comte still standing there smiling as he watched the house. I told Gustave to wait for me across the street that I needed to speak to his uncle._

_Gustave asked me "I have never met my uncle, how do you know him? Why is he standing there watching my house and not going in? I saw him there when we left.'_

'_He is waiting for your grandmother. Let me speak to your uncle for a moment. There is something that I need to ask him that is for adult ears only. Be a good boy and wait for me.'_

'_Alright.'Gustave told me._

_I walked over to the Comte and asked him 'What are you doing here?_

_He shrugged as if he did not care 'My brother has made some powerful enemies, including myself. He is about to get what he deserves.'_

_I was shocked I turned to him 'What do you mean by that? You would harm your own brother?'_

"_He is my half –brother, to be exact, but he has betrayed his own family and friends. I cannot shield him from the consequences any longer." He said._

'_I will call the gendarmes. You cannot get away with this.' I told him._

'_I already have, and you and the boy will be next, if you don't cooperate.' He told me. He looked very sinister and my eyes went to his hand which was in his pocket. There was a bulge which was clearly a gun._

_I thought on my feet to protect the boy. 'I was going to tell you but I did not yet have time. I saw the Vicomte write and post a letter to Monsieur le Fantome, telling him everything. It was where he went before you saw him. If you harm this child the Fantome will come after you, and you know what he is capable of doing.'_

_It was not a lie Mr. McGraw I did see that the Vicomte had written the Phantom a letter but I also knew that he had not as yet posted it._

_I told him 'You will need my help Monsieur le Comte to find le Fantome first, before he gets to you, but I will not do so if you do not promise me that you will not harm either myself or the child. I am your only hope to stop him. You know that le Fantome can strike and kill in an instant. He is a worse monster than you. Do you want to take the chance that he will win? I heard how he killed that poor stagehand by choking him with catgut.'_

'_Fine, you win. But if you do not help me stop that maniac, I will personally hunt you and everyone you know down and murder them. I am a very influential man and my friends are everywhere. Soon we will control France.' He bragged._

'_In return you will not harm either me or the child. You will leave us alone." I told him._

'_Fine, you have a deal but you will suffer the consequences if you do not do as you promised. If you do betray me, neither you, nor my sister-in-law's bastard will live to see your next birthdays.' he threatened._

'_You would kill an innocent child? Is nothing sacred to you? Are you human at all?' I asked him._

_He gave me a horrible glare, for a handsome man he looked ugly 'The boy is the son of a murderous monster and the apple does not usually fall far from the tree. I would be doing the world a favor by ending his line.'_

'_You are the monster, Monsieur I told him. If you harm a hair on the boy's head I will make sure that le Fantome will cut your throat you from ear to ear. I will help him instead of you.' I threatened."_

She turned to George tearfully "I made a pact with the devil, Mr. McGraw_._ A man who would harm his own brother and a child could only be a demon._"_

George looked into her fearful brown eyes and told her "I agree. He sounds like a terrible man. He needs to be stopped but first I need to know everything. What happened next?"

"_A moment later shots rang out. Gustave screamed and wanted to go in. I stopped him by holding him tightly. We waited until the men were out of the house and gone. The Comte nodded at me and I knew then that it was safe to go back in. They were both dead. De la Croix grabbed both of us and forced us to leave. I could see the house go up in flames as we went away. With the Baronesses help, he did find the Phantom here, and I did as I was instructed." _

"Who is this Baroness that you are referring to?" George asked.

"She is the Vicomtesse's friend from the old days before her marriage to the Vicomte. She knew both the Vicomtesse and the Phantom, I mean Mr. Destler."

"So she told de la Croix where Erik was?" George asked gently.

I tried my hardest to dissuade de la Croix from finding Erik I even set the boy against it. I figured that if he did not take the boy to the Phantom then I could not betray him. But de la Croix found him. He was where the Baronesse sent him."

"And so then you did as the Comte asked and betrayed them?" George queried emotionlessly.

"I did." She admitted reluctantly.

"How could you trust that the Comte wouldn't kill you once you helped him get rid of the Phantom? He does not seem like a trustworthy sort of gentleman despite his apparent wealth and title. He killed his own brother, why would he now spare you?"

"I do not trust him at all. I am not as stupid as you would believe me to be, or naïve. I made provisions to protect myself, my family and Gustave" She told him.

"You have my attention, Miss Lanthier. What provisions did you make?"

"When I made my first affidavit, I also made a second one. I sent a copy to the Comte and warned him that it would be sent to the French authorities if anything bad ever happened to me, my family or the child. It gives a detailed account of what I just told you here, enough information to send the Comte to the Guillotine."

"Where is this affidavit?" George asked.

"I have it." She opened her purse and withdrew a notarized letter. "I signed five copies: One for him, one for me, one for you, one for Mr. Khan and one for the Capitaine of the Paris gendarmerie. You see the Comte taught me something which was not to trust just one person. I do not know for sure who in France would be among the Comte's friends. He is very influential."

George looked at her and then Olivia. "We must take the boy and go see the Marshall and get Erik off of that train. This clearly exonerates him therefore the extradition order should be lifted; if we can get word to the Deputies who are transporting him to New York."

"But my friends and family in France will be placed in grave danger if I do not do as he says. The Phantom must be delivered to France. His friends are everywhere." She told him frantically.

"Then we must find someone important in France, someone who we can trust. There must be some who will be able to deal with the Comte and his confederates. Maybe Erik or Nadir will know of someone. Once we do that, we can get protection for your friends and family until this is finished."

"I don't know who he would know there. The Phantom spent most of his life in the cellars of the opera house. He was very notorious in France for a while but not in a good way. Perhaps his friend the Baroness could help, but she is merely a former dancer, and her husband is still young. When we met her, she was all alone: he was with the military in Cochinchina. He might not involve himself anyway even if he was in France. He too could even be one of the Boulangists; they had a lot of support among the nobility." She told him.

"You do not know who else Erik or Nadir might know. You should have trusted him to help you. To have lived as he did for all these years and to have survived it he would have had to be wily. If we can get him released before he is taken back to France he could be a powerful ally for you. He already saved you and the boy's life simply because of his reputation. But since I have spoken with you longer than I expected to I will miss the last train out of town to try to catch up with him. I cannot get to him before tomorrow." George told them.

Olivia smiled "But you might have just saved Erik's life."

"I pray that you are right. Whatever he might have done in the past he is definitely innocent of this crime." George told them.

Simone told them "Pierre de la Croix obtained a pardon for Mr. Destler, at the behest of the Vicomte, for his previous crimes. He told me so before we brought the boy to him. I was concerned that we would be bringing the boy to a wanted criminal."

"Then the French really do have nothing to hold him for. You are a witness to what truly happened. I will have you repeat what you told me to the marshall and try to get him to telegraph ahead. I can issue a writ of habeas corpus if I have to and order his release. It would be highly improper for me to do so without a formal hearing, but I believe that I have heard enough evidence to issue one. I don't believe that either the French government or ours issued the extradition order without using a proper procedure either. Someone in the French legation must have exercised extreme influence to obtain the order. It is a shame that Erik did not bother to obtain American citizenship he might have been treated much differently. I am going to suggest that he do so once we obtain his release." George mused.

They went into the schoolyard and motioned for Gustave to come with them. He looked at Simone with an angry glare "I hope that you will go to jail for what you have done to my father. You betrayed him, me and my parents. I know that you did not like him but you claimed to care about me, how could you do this when you know that he has been so good to me?"

Simone looked away shamefully.

George looked to Gustave and told him "It is alright, Simone will help us now. What she did is not what you think. She saved your life in Paris that night and has been protecting you from some very bad people all along. Did your father ever mention to you any relatives in France or even friends who he trusted? He mentioned to me that he had a brother and a sister with a title somewhere. What about the Vicomte did he have any friends that you would know and trust Gustave?"

Gustave replied "The Vicomte no, I cannot tell you who would be trustworthy. He had a lot of friends but it would be hard to know who to trust. As far as my father goes he did tell me that he had family that he wanted to send me to when I first got there. They had a Chateau somewhere in Normandy or Bretagne. I don't remember which. But he said that they had rejected him when he was a child."

George mused "But that would have been his parents, perhaps his brother or sister would feel differently. Erik mentioned that the area that he grew up in was very superstitious and most did not even speak French as their language but a Celtic one."

Gustave replied "That sounds more like Bretagne, my Pere's family comes from Normandy and they speak French there. My tutor in France, Mr. Gerard, told me that the people of Brittany originally came from Great Britain, after the fall of the Roman Empire, and they still speak their old language. Perhaps Nadir would know more. He and my father do not keep many secrets from one another. He is at the mountain chalet."

"I sent Darius to fetch him and bring him in to town." George told him.

"Please Mr. McGraw don't let them harm my father. Despite some of the bad things that he has done in the past, he is still a good man. He would have never harmed my parents especially not my mother. He believes that she is still alive." He told them.

"I know." George said. "I was going to go to France with him to help him find her."

"That would be my dream Mr. McGraw; to have my mother and father reunited. They love each other so much. My father would finally have a family to love him, Maman would no longer be sad and I would have two parents just like everyone else here."

Gustave observed.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

George, Gustave, Olivia and Simone all went over to the Marshall's office to enlist his aid in obtaining Erik's release from custody. There were boxes, and other objects, strewn all over the office; several people were helping the Marshall unpack.

Marshall Reddington turned to them with a broad friendly smile. "You have returned to me with an army, Mayor McGraw, who are your friends here and what can I do for you?"

"To start you can get word to the deputies escorting Mr. Destler to release him immediately. I am going to issue a writ of habeas corpus due to exculpatory evidence which has come to my attention." McGraw told him.

"What sort of evidence?" he asked.

Allow me to introduce my companions the first is Olivia Dugard, the schoolmistress here, and a very influential citizen. The boy here is Vicomte Gustave de Chagny, who is Mr. Destler's natural son. The third person is Miss Simone Lanthier, who is the boy's nanny but also is the author of the affidavit which contained false information regarding Mr. Destler, which formed the basis for the expedited deportation of Mr. Destler. Miss Lanthier was under duress when she made the allegations. She has already explained to me the circumstances surrounding the affidavit, and will cooperate with us in exchange for immunity for her perjury. However she is concerned for the wellbeing of herself, the boy and her family who have been threatened by the actual perpetrators of the crime of which Erik stands accused of in France. The boy will corroborate the falsehood of her first affidavit and confirm the second. He has never at any point been in fear, or at risk of harm, from his father. In fact, Mr. Destler has been providing the boy with protection from those who would seek to harm him. Mrs. Dugard is a witness to Miss Lanthier's confession, as am I." George told him.

The marshall looked at the Frenchwoman. Is this true what Mayor McGraw has told me?"

She looked at him sheepishly "Yes it is. I betrayed Mr. Destler but only because I made an agreement with the real murderer, the Comte de Chagny. The Comte promised that, if I would tell him how to find Mr. Destler and would cooperate in bringing him to justice that he would leave the boy and myself alone. I did not feel bad about doing it because it kept Gustave and me safe. Mr. Destler was guilty of some terrible crimes in France in the past. I did not think that sacrificing his safety for our safety was a bad thing. After knowing Mr. Destler as I do now, I am not sure that he would blame me for doing so. He would want to protect Gustave at the expense of his own life."

The marshall looked at her "The man doesn't appear to be such a hardened criminal to me if he would be so protective of the boy to do that. It is never acceptable to deprive an innocent man of his freedom and possibly his life just because he did some unsavory things in the past. You should have come to someone in authority, or informed Mr. Destler of the dangers that you were facing. If he indeed was protecting the boy, you should have made him aware of everything that you knew. It bothers me that you would help a dangerous murderer frame an innocent man no matter what sort of danger that you faced. I do not know what they do in France; here in America we do not imprison a person for a current crime based on what he might have done in the past, but you are not a jurist and perhaps did not comprehend the lack of morality in doing so."

The nanny looked at him defensively "But Monsieur, everyone in France knew what a dangerous man Monsieur le Phantom was. You don't understand he k…"

George silenced her "Enough, we do not care to know what the gentleman did in the past if it did not involve the charges that are the subject of the extradition order. He could have killed Napoleon himself for all I care. You have betrayed Mr. Destler's trust in you, and endangered all of you by cooperating with the real murderer.

"Let me look at your new affidavit." The marshall interjected.

She withdrew it from her purse and handed it to him.

The marshall reviewed her statement and looked at her in astonishment. "So you are a material witness to the murder. This Comte that you allied yourself with is guilty of killing his own brother. You expected him to keep his word to you, and honestly believed that such a man would not harm you, or the child?"

She stuttered "b…"

The marshall silenced her and admonished "You are a very foolish woman. You were clever enough to point out that Mr. Destler could be very dangerous to him thereby forcing him to make a deal with you to begin with; but then you delivered into his hands the very article of insurance that you had used to keep this maniac from hurting you, the boy and your loved ones. Do you think that a man who has as much influence as you claim would not have the influence to make both you and your affidavit disappear? No on the contrary you signed your own death warrant. You and the boy are the only living witnesses to the Comte's involvement in the crime, other than the perpetrators who actually did it. It would seem to me that Mr. Destler was your best and only safe hope for protection, and you fed him to the wolves."

Gustave blanched and told him "Please Mr. marshall, do not let them hurt my father. I have already lost my other parents. Whatever he might have done before, he has been very good and kind to me, and I love him. He saved Mr. McGraw here and his entire family. He should not have to pay for a crime that he did not commit."

Just then Nadir burst in, together with Darius "I have heard that the new Marshall has arrested Erik!" Nadir exclaimed indignantly. "Are you him?" he asked Reddington angrily. "I used to run the entire Secret Police bureau for the Shah in Persia, and I would have shot any underling who did such sloppy police work as arresting a man for a crime committed halfway around the world. It would have been impossible for him to do so, or even hire anyone to do such a job even if he wanted to which he didn't. How dare you be so incompetent you stupid sag?"

Reddington stared back at the angry Persian "I don't know who you are or what a sag is; but it doesn't sound like I would like to be one. As for incompetent, I did not even know about this matter until yesterday when the two deputies approached me with the extradition order. They were freshly arrived from Washington and discovered that I was the new US Marshall assigned to Madison. They asked me to help them take Mr. Destler into custody. When we arrived here this morning, I found out that McGraw here is both the judge and the Mayor so I went to his office to enlist his aid in apprehending Mr. Destler. Little did I know that, only a short time later, the same man that I sought would walk right in and peaceably submit to being placed custody. McGraw here tried to apprise him of his rights and offered to ride with him to Denver, to the Federal District Court there, to request a stay and a new hearing. The man refused and is now on board a train with the two deputies. He is riding in his own car, like an emperor. I thought that the matter was over for the moment. The next thing I know I am accosted by the Mayor, two women, a boy and now two exotic looking men, one of which called me some strange name. I should have stayed in Texas where I was stationed before; the Comanche were a much less troublesome group than you people, I just had my scalp to worry about."

He turned to McGraw "Would you mind introducing my two new guests to me.

McGraw laughed at the marshall's tirade "This is Mr. Nadir Khan and his man Darius, what is your last name?"

"Karimloo." Darius filled in.

'Karim something or other" Mc Graw told him, "He makes the best kebabs this side of the Mississippi or perhaps in the whole of North America. Anyhow they are very old friends of Mr. Destler, and have lived here in Madison with him for the past five years. Nadir and Erik helped me form patrols to police the area while we waited for you to arrive." He added.

Nadir looked at the marshall "You Americans are still poor policemen. Mr. Destler could not have had anything to do with the goings on in France for the past eight years. The man barely left his suite, and when he did he was in his lab. He abhorred hearing anything about France. He specifically banned the whole country as a topic of discussion. I handled all of his affairs for the entire time that we have been here. I know for a fact that he was completely unaware of the boy's existence and had no reason to harm either of his parents, especially not the Vicomtesse, who he loved more than anyone else in the world. He sacrificed his own happiness for hers." He withdrew the two letters that had been written to Erik, the one from Christine and the other from the Vicomte; these are in French but Mrs. Dugard, Miss Lanthier or Gustave here could translate them for you. They detail the true relationship between all three of Gustave's parents. They also shed light on who the real perpetrators of the crime might be."

"May I see my parent's letters Nadir?" Gustave begged softly "My father would not show them to me, he said that they might give me expectations that could lead to disappointment. I know that he thinks that my mother might have survived the attack."

Simone gasped "What?"

Nadir looked at her "We kept that information from you. Erik did not trust you after he found out that you had been seen talking to a 'strange man' at the time of the murders. He did not want to put her in danger if she were, rightfully so I may add given your behavior." He turned to Gustave "He did not want to give you too much false hope either. If he had done so and then he was wrong he would not have been able to forgive himself for hurting you in such a way."

"He told me that he and Mr. McGraw were going to France because the key was to a safe deposit box containing my father's valuables, and that was the purpose of father's letter was to give him the information. He said nothing about anything else." Gustave told them.

"He did not want to break your heart if he was wrong, Gustave. He was hoping to bring you a pleasant surprise back from Paris. He bade me to stay here to keep you under my protection. He could trust no one else to do so as well as he could. He could not be in two places at once, so he and Mr. McGraw were going together to find your mother and protect her until he could get her here. With his new prosthesis he felt that he could slip in and out of France without being recognized." Nadir told him.

"But he was taking a risk. What if he didn't come back to me? I would lose my second father. I have already lost mon Pere." Gustave told them, a worried frown marred his handsome face.

"No Gustave, Erik is too smart to come to harm, especially now since he has so much more to live for. We will get word to the deputies on the train and retrieve him before he gets into French custody. Nothing will happen to him. I promise." Nadir told him.

The Marshall looked at them. "Let's walk over to the telegraph station. We will figure out where the train will be stopping next and have them get off and spend the night there. We can then either go there, or have them bring him back here to Madison." He looked at Gustave "Don't worry young Gustave, in this day and age; we have the telegraph to help us. My father was a Texas Ranger during the time of the Republic and they did not have the marvels that we do to help us. He had no way of communicating but by stage or messengers on horseback. We will get your father off of that train safely young man."

Nadir looked at George and told him "I will send a telegraph to Antoinette Giry in France, as Erik requested, just in case we cannot retrieve him. She could go to the opera house and check to see if Christine is really alive and there waiting for Erik as he believes. If not, it is not advisable for Erik himself to travel to France given the uncertain state of the charges against him."

George told him "The marshall is correct, there should be no problem retrieving him; they will have to change to the main line in Denver and then head to either Council Bluff in Iowa to connect into the Eastern Railway System or head south from Denver to New Orleans. I would think that they would head right to the east coast; but given the uncertain weather at this time of year they might try to head south and take their chances there. Did the deputies give you any clue as to which way that they would have gone?"

Reddington replied "They were very cryptic now that I think of it. I would guess that they would try to head east, any French officials would be in Washington or New York."

Nadir cut in "But New Orleans is historically French, they might have a legation there."

George cut in "In short gentlemen we have to contact the deputies before the train reaches Denver, or else we will lose track of which way they might take him. I suggest that we contact the station in Golden. That is the last major stop before Denver.

There is no way that we will miss contacting them there."

They all went over to the Telegraph office and sent their respective telegrams, one to the stationmaster in Golden and a second to Madame Giry. Nadir prayed that Antoinette would get it and find Christine. Using a code that she would only understand after visiting the lair, he told her not to move Christine until either Erik or one of them could get there, just to confirm whether or not she was alive or dead. He hoped that she would understand what he meant; he had to be cryptic about his instructions in case the telegram was intercepted. He doubted that it would be the case but one could never know. In the meantime he was furious with Simone.

Earlier, on the way to the telegraph office, he had turned to her to ask "How could you betray Erik and Gustave in this manner? We knew that you were wary of Erik, because of his reputation from France but to let those murderers know how to find Erik, and then to help them with such an affidavit. I cannot trust or forgive you." He turned to George. "She could still tell them what we are up to or worse yet, reveal that Christine might be alive. We need to neutralize her for now."

"What do you suggest?" George asked.

"We must keep her in jail until both Christine and Erik are safe." Nadir told him.

"But you promised me immunity Mr. McGraw. It is the reason that I cooperated with you." Simone looked at the Mayor desperately.

Nadir smiled at her and warned her in French "You would be more comfortable in jail here in town than where I will put you if you are released to me. I will gladly lock you in the basement of the mountain Chateau and jail you as I did to my prisoners in Persia. You will not see the light of day for months. Take your choice Mademoiselle, accept the Mayor's justice or mine. I do not like people who betray their employers. I am waiting."

She turned to George and Marshall Reddington, "I would rather be detained in your jail than freed, at least until this is over."

Nadir smiled "I am pleased that you fully understand the position that you are in. I expect that you will continue to cooperate fully with these American law enforcement gentlemen."

"Yes, of course." She replied "But please make sure that the Comte and his friends do not harm my family."

"The Comte will be dealt with in the near future Mademoiselle Lanthier, either by the French justice system or by Erik. If he is lucky the gendarmes will deal with him first. If the Vicomtesse is found to have not survived he will be begging for a swift death. Erik was known as the Angel of Doom in Persia for his inventive ways of doing away with the Shah's enemies. Pray that Christine is truly alive or he might come back and deal with you as well." Nadir warned her in French.

"What did he tell Miss Lanthier to upset her so?" George asked Olivia.

"My French is far from perfect but I think that he just warned her to be very afraid of Erik if the Vicomtesse is found to be dead after all." She replied.

George mused "I have seen my new friend kill and he does it with ease and astonishing skill."

Nadir smiled "He was the Shah's best assassin."

Gustave looked at him "Wow, he told me that he had done other bad things but not that!"

Nadir motioned Gustave to slow down and walk beside him for the remaining distance to the telegraph office. "For good reason Gustave. He does not want you to think that he is a monster. It was many years ago, and he is nothing like that angry young man any longer. He would still not want you to know about that time in his life, at least not until you are older." Nadir told him.

"Was he very bad?" Gustave asked. "I know that he tried to kill mon Pere."

Nadir spoke to the boy in French not wanting the others to understand "Yes and no Gustave. You see until you and your mother, Erik did not receive anything but hate in his life. He was treated in such a way that he only saw the worst that people could do to one another. He did not trust anyone because no one ever gave him a reason to. Antoinette Giry and I were his first friends, and for a long time he did not even see us as such. You see I brought him to the Shah, who forced him to become a man that he did not really want to be. At first I did not see that, but later I realized that I had betrayed him. I had met a lot of very bad people in Persia, in my job there, and I came to see that your father was not really like them. He was very kind to animals, women and children, particularly my son, and I could see that he was in his heart a good man. He did not permit anyone to see his true self, or he would be too vulnerable. But I watched him, and I could see it despite his attempts to hide it from me." Nadir paused for a moment and continued.

"Fortunately for him, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to fool me. It was only after I saved his life on several occasions that he realized that I was truly his friend. Then he met your mother and learned what it was to love someone. He started realize all of the mistakes that he had made in the past, and began to regret them. He felt terribly guilty about the bad things in his past. When we came here he decided that he should atone for his mistakes by withdrawing from the world. You brought him back to life with your love. You see, love was the only treasure that he ever wanted and he despaired of ever receiving it. You and your mother both gave him that and made him realize that he was not fated to remain alone and unloved."

Gustave stopped walking and looked at Nadir nervously "I hope that he will be alright so we can give him more love."

"Me too Gustave." Nadir replied.

After they arrived at the telegraph office and sent their respective messages they waited to see if the station in Golden would acknowledge receipt. When the marshall received it he smiled and told them. The train has not reached Golden yet, they will give the deputies the message."

He turned to Gustave smiled broadly and patted him on the head. "Your father will be back here by tomorrow boy. He will be returned safely. No harm done."

They all sighed in relief Nadir turned to Gustave and smiled "Once your father is back tomorrow, he and Mr. McGraw will leave for France and rescue your mother if she is still alive. Antoinette Giry should get back to me by the time that your father will return. Hopefully she will tell us whether or not your mother is there."

They all felt a sense of relief. They were sure that a disaster had been averted. Nadir turned to Olivia "If you don't mind, I will take Gustave home. It has been a rough day for all of us.

"I am glad that it turned out well." She replied "I truly am. I hope that Gustave's mother will be found to be alive. What a wonderful thing that would be both for Gustave and his father."

The marshall interjected. "I will head back to my office with my new guest, Miss Lanthier. I will let you know when I receive word from the deputies that they will release Mr. Destler and let him return here. I hope that from here on out it will be quieter here."

George replied "Once you clean out that nest of criminals it should be marshall. After that your job should be a lot calmer, a few bar fights here and there. Some small time theft. Madison is a very friendly community. Do you have a wife? My little lady would love to entertain you perhaps tomorrow before we leave for France. Perhaps Erik can join us as well to show that he bears you no hard feelings."

"Sarah would love that. I will let you know. We were looking for a calm place to settle down." The marshall replied. "Hopefully this first day is not a bad omen."

"Nah we already stopped an injustice from happening." George told him.


	18. Chapter 18

When I was younger I used to dabble in poetry. I thought that I would write one for fun. Just to experiment a little bit. Since this fic is under read, I will have fewer people to embarrass myself in front of….

Chapter 18 Paris, France January 18, 1890

Three weeks more had passed. Christine wondered how much longer that she could keep up hope. She decided to explore Erik's room further before heading out to scavenge for food. She had not been in there for the past three weeks because she still felt that she was violating his privacy; but she felt very lost and alone, and wanted to feel closer to him. She opened the door and once again saw the massive coffin chillingly overpowering the rest of the room. As was the case the last time, a profound sadness washed over her as she looked at Erik's empty memorial. She went back over to his desk and sorted through a pile of papers which lay there in a pile of dust. It contained correspondence and half -finished musical scores, she riffed through some of them. There were a few drawings of her in various poses. She had no idea that her angel had been such a good artist. Some of his drawings were as good as ones that she had seen in galleries. She and Raoul visited many over the years, and she had developed an eye for good work. There were some architectural drawings as well, including a set of plans for the Palais Garnier. She was truly impressed.

At the bottom of a pile she spotted a poem and she read it. It spoke of Erik's profound pain and sadness:

_If a man dies and nobody cares, did he really exist?_

_If a man speaks and nobody listens, did he really make a sound?_

_If a man bleeds and nobody tends to him, was he truly hurt?_

_Is love unacknowledged really love? Or is it only emptiness when it finds no home?_

_I am that man, yet to the world I am only an illusion, a lonely Phantom_

_Cast into the darkness as the refuse of man_

_For me, only violence can make me real_

_Only pain can make me feel_

_Only love can make me heal_

_But it is not by choice, but by fate_

_That the only path left open to me is hate_

_If only someone would hear my pain_

_All my hate would be cleansed in a gentle rain_

_Then I would be a Phantom no more_

_Redeemed by the power of sweet amour._

Christine could feel the powerful emotions that must have existed to compel Erik to write such a sad poem. In reading it, she could understand the true depth of the lonliness that he had endured living without any sort of hope or affection for so long. It made her feel terribly sorry that she had so unthinkingly rejected his love. How it must have stung him to watch her turn away from him as so many others had in the past. She sat there and wept in regret for the lost time that had passed where they could have washed one another's pain and loneliness away. She prayed that it was not too late, and that was not the reason that no one had come for her.

A few days later, there was a knock on the door of the townhouse of the Baroness de Castelot Barbazec. A liveried servant answered the door and took possession of a telegram. It was addressed to Antoinette Giry, the Baroness' mother. The servant, Jacques, brought it to the Baroness. He looked at Meg and intoned "Madame la Baronesse there is a telegram for your Maman, I have accepted it even though she is dead. I thought that you might want to see what it was."

She smiled at her servant, and thanked him, taking the telegram in her hand. Unlike most noble households, she could only afford to keep three servants. They were more friend than employee, and they all took great care of her. She was surprised that her mother would have received a telegram since she had passed away almost a year before. All of her friends and relatives knew about it, with the exception of _him. _But it had been nine years without a word from the Phantom. Although she had told the Inspecteur where to find him over a year before, right after Christine and Raoul's murder, she had heard nothing since. She knew that the Inspecteur had returned to France late last summer because he had been found murdered. The newspapers claimed that the man had been tortured for information. It was said that the infamous Phantom of the Opera appeared to have done it, even though his very existence had been in dispute. Recently there had been strange sightings at the opera house of a creature dressed in formal clothing, a half mask and a dark wig just like Erik used to dress. Meg had discounted them because she knew that the Phantom no longer lived there, at least she thought so. Could he have come back and started his reign of terror once again? But why? Surely he would not have any incentive to do so, he had a son now, or so de la Croix told her.

She tore open the telegram. It was from Nadir Khan in Madison, Colorado USA. It was short and odd given the many years that had passed since the last time that she and her mother had heard from him. It read "Erik believes that he left Gustave Daae's violin in his Paris home. Please go and check to see if it is there but do not take it with you. Keep it safe; only advise if it is there ASAP. Will give further instructions. This is a matter of life and death. Go alone thank you. Nadir Khan."

What did this telegram mean? She wondered. Should she tell this Mr. Khan that Maman was dead; or should she go on this errand herself? She had only been to his lair one time, on that night, when the mob went to hunt for Erik. She was not sure that she could remember the path down after all of these years. It had been nine years since she had done it and what about this Phantom that was now there? She did not know what to do but he said that it was a matter of life and death. Why would looking for an old violin be a matter of life and death? She suspected that it was not about a violin. In her heart she knew that the Phantom was innocent, perhaps he had something there that would prove it. She knew that Maman would want her to try, for her old friend's sake. For her Maman's sake she resolved to do it. Erik was very dear to her and she would want to help him in any way that she could. Meg remembered some of her mother's last words which were "Erik has so few true friends, and now I am leaving him. If he ever asks you to, please help him. He is a good man at heart." In meeting this cryptic request Meg prayed that she would not fall into one of the Phantom's old traps. She hoped that she could find whatever he was seeking. It would be dark and scary in the catacombs but she owned a small derringer that her husband had given her to keep her safe in his absence. She always carried it in her handbag, if she had to go to an iffy part of Paris. Usually he advised that she bring a servant with her, but the Persian had told her to go alone.

It was not unusual for her to go to the Palais Garnier both to look for old friends, and attend either opera's or ballets. She missed the stage, and her old life, especially her friendship with Christine. Christine had been like a true sister to her. After she had married the Vicomte they had not really moved in the same circles, despite Meg's own elevation into the nobility. Raoul had discouraged Christine from spending too much time with her old friends, even her, perhaps especially her. He had felt that her old friends would remind her of another old friend who was best forgotten. Meg and her mother were especially troublesome for Raoul. Meg knew that Raoul had a right to be concerned. Christine had frantically sought Erik out, shortly after the opera had burned. Meg discovered where Erik was by tricking her Maman into revealing Erik's hiding place to her to pass on to Christine. She later found out that Christine had spent a week with Erik, before returning to marry the Vicomte.

_Christine had a sad and faraway look before her wedding and Meg asked her "What is wrong Christine? Why are you so sad? You should be happy you are marrying the man of your dreams and you will be a Vicomtesse. Raoul will give you whatever you want. You are so lucky."_

"_No, Meg I am marrying the wrong man. It should have been him with me today but he is gone, and your mother will not tell me where he went. He has taken both my heart and my music from me. I don't know how I will go on without him. I hate your mother for convincing him to leave without me. I will never forgive her." She told Meg._

"_Then why don't you stop the wedding and just continue your career. Why marry the Vicomte?" Meg asked._

"_I told you already my music is gone. He has taken it with him. I cannot sing unless I am carrying his music with me. It is how it always was Meg. I just took it for granted before; but now I know for certain. It is my fault that he is gone, for not realizing where my heart truly belonged Meg. If I do not marry Raoul I will have nowhere else to go. I do love him in a different way from Erik. I love him for the way that he cares for me and is protective of me. Raoul is a good and decent man; he always has been and will be. Erik is darker and much more damaged; but he is more I than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same. They need one another to soar beyond the mundane and normal. Raoul is grounded and of this world. Erik is my angel, our love lifts my spirit to a strange new world beyond what I ever knew was possible. He is so dark and passionate." She told her._

"_Christine if this is true, I do not think that you should get married. Call it off and force Maman to tell you where he went." She begged her._

"_I cannot call it off Meg, it would destroy Raoul. He has been so kind and patient with me. He risked his life for me that night. Erik is gone from my life forever, Meg. Perhaps if I had listened to my heart sooner, not to what my eyes and to what other's told me, our love might have stood a chance. I drove him to madness. He killed Piangi because of me Meg and my stubborn refusal to acknowledge the veracity of our love. It is too late for us Meg. He has fled for his life, and twice gave me back to Raoul." Tears appeared in her eyes._

_Meg hugged her. "I am sorry Christine that your love had to end in that way." She told her._

"_My love for Erik will never end Meg; he will always be there in my heart and soul. You cannot separate him from me because our souls are combined into one." She told her tearfully._

"_Well perhaps somehow someday things will change and you and he can be together." __Meg told her._

"_Never." Christine whispered._

Meg thought to herself, she was right. Her poor friend was gone and she was not even thirty years old when she was brutally murdered. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about her poor friend and the handsome and dashing Vicomte as well. What they hadn't known, on that long ago day, was that Christine was already pregnant with the Phantom's child. She had only seen the boy a couple of times but he was very handsome, it was hard to believe that such a hideous man could have fathered such a child but he did. The boy's eyes looked the same as the Phantom's did, but with a less tormented look. She had been happy that Christine ,at least, had a wonderful reminder of her lost true love.

Meg decided to take care of the job immediately. She had little to do, and it seemed like a nice option. She would go and be back soon. It wasn't like Robert was around, he was still in Cochinchina. She remembered that Christine told her that Erik had cleared all of his traps from behind the mirror in Christine's old dressing room. If she could just get in that room and open the mirror she would hopefully find the one clear path down. She hoped, that if the room was occupied, she could find an excuse to get inside of it, alone. Otherwise, she would have to go the same way that the mob had years before, and that route had many more pitfalls.

She made her way into the opera house largely unseen, and walked back towards the dormitories where she and Christine once slept and exchanged confidences. It was in this area that she first heard about Christine's mysterious tutor and later about Christine's budding romance with the Vicomte. She felt a chill pass within her as if the ghosts of the past were inside of her mind, but she discounted them as being a product of her over active imagination. She had been one of the most prolific authors of the Phantom of the Opera ghost stories. She would make many of them up just to scare the younger girls. It was they who were now the primary dancers and chorus members of the current Opera Populaire. One girl Marie saw her and came over to her excitedly.

She started telling her all of the gossip and finally asked her "Have you heard that the Phantom of the Opera is with us again?"

Meg replied "You know that the man who was the Phantom left long ago. It is purely a figment of your imaginations."

"No. He has been seen a few times over the past year, but only small glances of him. Just a flash of his white half mask and a black fedora." She said. "I saw it myself."

Meg laughed "You are getting revenge on me for all of my old ghost stories that I scared you with when you were a child here."

The girl answered seriously "No Meg, it is real."

"Has he been sending notes and making threats?" she asked.

"No in fact he seems to scurry out of the way fast. He never speaks to anyone or does anything bad; he only takes food and other articles." She said.

"Then perhaps it is just a thief dressed up like the Phantom." Meg observed.

She knew that it could not be Erik or Nadir would not have sent her. Unless Erik was there and in trouble but then how would Nadir know that?"

Marie replied "But he disappears like the Phantom did. He is there one minute and then he is gone in an instant. He moves just as lithely as he did before."

Meg laughed "I am sure it is just one of the stagehands fooling with you and stealing the food and other items. The real Phantom would have made his presence known in many more ways. You girls were always very gullible. I suppose that you even believed my tale of a flaming skull."

"I did until that night when Christine unmasked him. I have never seen a more hideous face than I did that night. It was most definitely real; unless that you want to say that a stage hand set that fire that night, and kidnapped Christine. You yourself led the way to the monster's lair that night. It was no fairy tale; you did not think so either at the time."

"It was a fairy tale Marie, and one that you best forget that you ever knew. It is all part of the distant past and has no place here." Meg warned.

"Except they believe that the Phantom was the one who killed Christine and the Vicomte." She told her.

"I doubt that Marie. The Phantom loved Christine too much to ever harm her. It was truly nice to see you again. I have something that my mother left here that is in Christine's old room. Is it occupied?" she asked.

The girl shook her head no "No one goes in that room Meg, it is said to be haunted by all three of them. Ever since Christine died we all stay clear of it."

Meg told her goodbye; despite the tales that a ghost had returned to the opera house, she decided to continue on her assigned task. She doubted that anyone ventured down there to Erik's old domain. It was probably a stage hand or another worker who wanted to scare people. Erik had been gone a long time and even if he had been there he never would have harmed her. When she was at the head of the mob, she deliberately misled them; but they had heard some noise and followed it despite her best efforts. At that point she could only lead them in a round- about way to give Erik time to escape with his life. He was shot during his retreat but he did get out alive. The dressing room was dark and melancholy, as if mourning the past. It was very dusty. Fortunately the mirror was intact, it took her some time but she was able to find a latch on the side and opened it. She found a torch on the wall and she lit it. She started winding her way down the long labyrinth praying that Christine had told her the truth, and that Erik's old traps had remained disabled. She carried the derringer as a talisman against Phantoms and others who might harm a woman traveling the dingy dark corridors alone.

It seemed like an eternity until she saw both the misty glassy lake and a distant light glowing on the other side. The light surprised her and almost made her turn back, but if it truly was Erik he would not harm her. The gondola was there and still able to carry her across the lake. She was not good at poling it but she did adequately. She wondered who was beyond it and prayed that she had not signed her death warrant. Maybe Erik needed her aid because Nadir was still in America. The light just confirmed what she sensed all along, that the violin was not what she was going there for. She knew that Nadir was looking for something, or someone else, she just did not know who it could be but the Phantom himself.

As she approached she called out "Erik is that you?"

There was no answer "Who is it there in the light?" she demanded again. There was still silence.

Suddenly a form appeared at the edge of the lake. It was too small to be Erik, who was very tall and lanky. It was a woman.

"Meg?" the voice asked as if willing itself to speak after a long period of not being used.

Suddenly Meg recognized the owner of the voice but it couldn't be could it? Marie was right there really was a Phantom in the opera house.

"It is impossible." She said out loud. "You are dead."

As she neared the shore she could see the form hold a lantern beside her face, illuminating it.

"Who is that?" Meg asked again. She shook in terror, wondering if she were truly seeing a ghost.

"You don't recognize me Meg truly? It is me Christine." Christine told her.

"But you are dead, everyone says so. How can you be here? I went to your memorial service." Meg told her.

"No Meg. I set the fire to escape undetected. The second body in there was one of our attackers. There were three of them. I was wounded but had to treat myself. Luckily it was only a flesh wound and the bullet went through me or I would be truly dead." Christine told her.

Meg stepped out of the gondola on to the shore, and embraced Christine. "You are real." She told her.

Christine laughed "Very much so. But I have used Erik's mask and clothing to get around when I have to. Who would have guessed all those years ago that I would take Erik's place as the Phantom of the Opera."

"People believe that he has returned or maybe never left." Meg told her.

"No, Erik is gone, although I always feel his presence here. I wish he really were. I sent messages through Gustave hoping that he would tell them to Erik, and get him see that I am still alive, and to come and find me here. I almost have left several times. It is very dark and cold and lonely down here. It was no wonder that Erik was so desperate to have me, Meg. Although it is beautiful here it is so perfectly quiet and horribly still like a magnificent tomb." Christine told her. "But what brought you here?"

"I think that it was Erik himself, but he sent Maman a telegram using his Persian friend. It asked that Maman travel to his old home and look for your father's old 'violin'. He told me not to take it but to leave it there for now and to let him know if it were here." Meg told her. "It must be you that they were seeking."

Christine smiled "Erik must have finally gotten my message. I admit that it was a longshot but I had to try. Erik must have sensed that I was still alive, at some point, just as I know that he is still alive. We always had that ability to know that the other was around. Do you know if he is alright Meg? And what about Gustave did de la Croix bring him to Erik? You do not know how frantic that I have been."

"I don't know anything about Erik Christine, other than he is being accused of your and Raoul's murder and Gustave's kidnapping. It is claimed that he must have known that the boy was really his, and went after you and Raoul. It was not such a stretch to get people to believe that Erik would kill, given his past history. Also, de la Croix was found murdered several months ago; they think that he did it as well. He had marks on his neck and it was broken." She said.

"They are trying to frame him, and are using his own past to make him look guilty. It was Raoul's own brother Philippe who was behind the whole thing Meg. It is why I hide here. Raoul bade me to do so, and told me to trust no one but Erik. De la Croix was supposed to bring Gustave to Erik and then return. Even he did not know that I survived the attack because Raoul wanted it that way. Philippe and Cecile found out that Gustave was Erik's son and not Raoul's. They demanded that Raoul both disown him and divorce me. Cecile came by and offered me a 'pension if I accepted'. I did not do so and then Raoul came home and was furious. He threw his mother out. Raoul loved Gustave as his own despite what his family wanted, and refused to allow them to declare Gustave to be a bastard or humiliate me. Philippe was also a rabid Boulangist and he wanted to use their movement as a screen for depriving Gustave of his legacy." Christine told her.

"The Boulangist's failed. Last year General Boulanger was elected as a deputy for Paris in January and it was thought that he would seize power in a coup d'état; he did not do so, he decided to run for office instead. The Interior Minister Ernest Constans banned his society the Ligue des Patriotes using an existing law against secret societies. He issued a warrant for the General's arrest and he fled Paris to Brussels, and then to London. That made many people angry including some of his supporters. His movement has floundered ever since. He lost the election as well because of his actions. Philippe has switched sides and now backs the republic. He used Raoul's own vocal opposition to the cause to say that it was he who had put his brother up to opposing them all along. He claimed that he, like his brother was just spying on the movement on behalf of the Republic."

"That is a lie. He was doing no such thing. It is one reason why Raoul was murdered. His brother was very angry at what he had done, and told him that he would no longer "protect him". He said that he was a traitor both to his family, by passing off a bastard as his child, and to France for not helping to restore it to its rightful place as a monarchy." Christine told her. "Do you know if Erik has Gustave?" she asked.

"No. Until today I knew nothing about any of it Christine. I did help de la Croix when he came to Maman to ask for Erik's address. She did not trust him and would not help; but he told me that both you and the Vicomte asked that he be brought to Erik. I found Erik's address in America and gave it to him. He was killed months later and no mention was made of Gustave. Since Erik has sent me here, the boy must be with him. How else would he have known to have Maman check on you?" Meg observed.

"You are right. But where is your mom?" Christine asked "Why did she send you in her place?"

"Maman passed away last summer. She was not feeling well and she had consumption. She grew weaker and weaker until she died. My husband has been in Cochinachina so I have been very bored and lonely. It is not easy to be a dancer and be accepted by the snobby aristocrats." Meg told her.

"I am sorry about your mother Meg. She was my mother as well, in my heart. It is hard to believe that she is gone; she was such a vital lady. But I know what you mean, about the nobility. They are full of themselves and what their families did five hundred years ago. They breed to one another like dogs. You must have a good pedigree or else. Thank goodness Raoul was never like that."

"Robert is not like that either. He calls those ladies the 'pampered poodles'. He describes them as being overbred and neurotic." Meg told her "Do you miss Raoul badly? How terrible it must have been to see him die."

"I will never forget that night as long as I live Meg. It makes even that night with Erik seem tame in comparison. We tried locking them out, but they smashed through the doors and came into the study. They shot Raoul right in front of me. The force was so hard that his head exploded. His blood was all over me. It helped make them believe that I was dead but it was horrible all the same. I did love him in my own way for all of our years of marriage, not with the same passion that I feel for Erik, but it was real nonetheless. He was such a good man, loving husband and amazing father. I feel very guilty for deceiving him when I married him, even now. He would still be alive if he did not marry me. His family would not have harmed him if he had married a woman from an acceptable background."

"Don't think that way Christine. It will not change either the past or the future. It will only cause you to grieve for what you cannot change. In the end, you had no choice but to marry Raoul. Women do not have many options in this world, other than a few menial jobs, such as being a servant, nanny or governess; or doing what we did, sing or dance. You provided Raoul with a son to love. It may not have been his son by blood, but it was in spirit. Raoul never would have had Gustave had he not married you, and you did love him in your own way." Meg told her. "Now just think of it, you and Erik and Gustave can all be together now."

"If they are alive, and I can find them. I could never find Erik in the past." Christine told her.

Meg smiled "He is alive and in Colorado. Once I confirm that you are here, he will come for you no doubt. You just have to have some patience and let him find a safe way to come and get you. He would not have sent me if he did not want you."

Christine looked at her sadly "I still can't believe that your mother is gone. I am sorry that I lost touch with you after my marriage to Raoul. Raoul wanted me to forget all that had happened which meant forgetting about all of you. I had already deceived him by marrying him when I had really loved Erik. I could not defy him in another way, especially later after he found out the truth about Gustave. He felt so betrayed at first, I felt horrible. It seems that I am always fated to betray the men that I love Meg, first Erik, and then Raoul. All that I ever wanted was to be a good wife and mother I guess that I am neither."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Christine; we were all so afraid of the Phantom in those days. We were all so young, and Raoul was so handsome and charming. It was understandable that you would choose the young and handsome Vicomte over the hideous and murderous Phantom. I think that even Erik knew that in the end that is why he released you and then left you."

Christine replied "Yes, and I never was angry at him for his decision, even if I felt that he should have let me come with him. I understood why he felt compelled to leave me. He gave me up to do what he thought was best for me, given the situation. Your mother helped talk him into doing so. But I still can't help but to think that if he had only had faith in our love overcoming the many obstacles in front of us, Erik would have had his own family at last. Maybe we would have even had more children than just Gustave."

"I can see that too my friend but again it is too late to look back. I should get going. I want to let Erik know that you are here and alright. I will visit you from now on and bring you things that you might need. Just let me know what they are from time to time. Your ordeal will be over soon. I am so glad that you are alive. I have missed you my friend." She reached out and hugged her.

"Me too, Meg. I have missed you."

I will come back and let you know Erik's answer when I receive it." Meg told her.

"Thank you." Christine replied.

They embraced once more and then Meg left her. She travelled back into the dormitory area and left Christine's old room. On her way out she ran into Marie.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Marie asked "Did you meet any Phantom's down there?"

Meg shrugged "I may have to come back I did not have time to search the whole room. It was such a small object. I was so sure that it would be there. As far as the Phantom goes, I am not superstitious. The ghost has been exorcised. What you have witnessed is purely a harmless prank."

When Meg was gone the girl dispatched a note to the Comte de Chagny's residence

"Meg Giry was visiting today. She went into Christine Daae's old room in search of something and was gone for quite a while. I will continue to watch, to see if she will return." She smiled in anticipation of receiving a generous remuneration from her benefactor.


	19. Chapter 19

Interest appears to be picking up even more perhaps my little note at the beginning for new readers worked a little. Thanks again to all of your support so far. Hmm if it gets too popular I may have to ditch my poor attempt at poetry in the last chapter and replace it with an altered version of 'Til I hear you sing.' I am trying to wean myself off too much ALW even if his works are a large part of my inspiration. As you can tell this fic has influences from both Phantom and LND. I occasionally pop some in for your pleasure, but if I ever converted one of my stories to something original this one would be the easiest one to do that with to date. I have written it in such a way where it could be done. In the meantime I still put in references to the things that I do not own.

Chapter 19

Erik and the two deputies settled into the private car that Erik had rented for them. Almost immediately after the doors shut, and the train lurched forward a third man and fourth man appeared. They moved in from behind and pounced upon Erik. They held him down reattached the fetters to him. Erik fought back but was overpowered. When they had Erik secured chained and bound to a seat, one huge man held a gun on him.

The man wiped some blood from his nose. "I think that my nose is broken" He hissed angrily. The man, who was clearly their leader, turned to one the 'deputies' and whipped him acoss the face using the side of the gun causing that man to bleed as well. "Foster you idiot, why didn't you put manacles and fetters on this man to begin with? You and and Ames are both bumbling fools. I am half tempted to reduce your take when the Frenchman pays us for this brute. "

"The marshall told us to treat him like a gentleman: it would have looked suspicious if we had not agreed to do so." 'Foster' replied defensively.

"Get me something to stop this bleeding you fool." The big man bellowed.

Foster scurried to the bathroom and brought back some white linen towels which his employer held steadily to his face to try to stem the bleeding. Erik smiled at their efforts to stop it. He could have stemmed the bleeding in a moment if he wanted to. He couldn't help but to laugh at their bumbling efforts.

The man turned to Erik with reptilian eyes and warned "You had better behave or I will put a bullet in your head, Frenchman or not. I would not mind doing so at all since you killed two of my cousins last summer. He touched his nose, "I may get even with you yet. Too bad the Frenchman who hired us specified that you be brought to him alive." The big man told him. "I would hate to forgo the huge reward that he offered for you. Clearly you angered a fairly important man."

"So your paperwork was all forged? I compliment you on your ingenuity. You fooled the new marshall completely or is he one of your gang as well?" Erik asked.

"No the fool is the new Mmmarshall there. We knew when he was due to arrive, and found out his schedule and we happened to drop in on him at the right time. He was distracted with escorting his wife and two unruly kids; he scarcely glanced at the paperwork."

"My compliments, your plan appears to have worked." Erik told him.

"The Frenchman was the one who gave my men phony paperwork and badges, although the affidavit is real. Your own servant betrayed you. The man knew that if we just went out and tried to seize you openly that you would never cooperate with us. He told us that you could only be subdued through trickery. The Marshall never suspected who my two men really were when they approached him. All that they had to do was clean up a little, and convince them of who they were. It was not really hard since all of them were former soldiers." The big man told him proudly. "The Frenchman was afraid of you, but clearly he was used to you milquetoast Europeans. It was not really too hard to trick you."

"Do you think so?" Erik threatened softly "Your nose tells me otherwise. If you thought me to be so weak; then why are there four of you, and only one of me? And why hide behind the barrel of a gun like a true coward? Your cousins were incredibly easy to kill, a quick flick of my wrists and their necks snapped like twigs. I would be more than happy to demonstrate my technique using your own neck. Then I will discuss my milquetoast qualities with your friends here."

The big man gave him a murderous glare and motioned to one of the deputies "Remove the bastard's fake face and wig and throw them off of the train. The Frenchman suggested that I do so both to keep others from both from sympathizing with the man and to make him easy to blend in at our destination tomorrow when we hand him over to the Frenchman. According to him, you are a hideous monster."

Erik smiled mockingly "Be my guest sir, it will be your loss, not mine; I won't have to look at my monstrous face. You will spend our entire time together gazing upon it to your own regret."

'Foster' stuttered "Perhaps we should let him keep them on until we reach the Frenchman in Denver. If even he admits that it is bad why make us suffer. We have him securely tied up Marcus. He will not escape."

'Marcus' replied "I am not afraid to look at the bastard's face. Clearly you young idiots did not see any real battles, when you were in the army. I was at Gettysburg, and the carnage there made anything else pale in comparison."

Erik taunted him "Then by all means take a peek. People used to pay good money to see my face when I was a young and innocent child. Behold your future; you will soon look worse than me, when I decide to end your piteous excuse for a life."

The man strode up to him and used the gun to smash the prosthetic covering Erik's face causing it to fly off. The four men all gasped. Erik laughed and then sneered contemptuously "Milquetoast Frenchman indeed. It is you who are weak kneed if you can't dare to look at me."

The big man recovered "I am surprised that the Frenchman wants you alive. You are one hideous creature. I am surprised that your mother did not strangle you at birth." He turned to one of his men "Parker go find a sheet, we will cover the monster's face with it so we don't have to look at him. The Frenchman was right; no one would help a _thing_ as ugly as him. I would shoot you on the spot, if the Frenchman did not specify that he wanted you alive. I would be doing both you and the world a favor by killing you."

"Then why don't you do it?" Erik asked calmly and without emotion, as if daring him to do so.

"The Frenchman offered a huge reward, but will not give us a dime if we kill you." Marcus told him. "But you do make it tempting. Perhaps I should just take the ore shipment from this train, and kill you right now. We don't even have to stop the train as we usually do."

"Perhaps you should." Erik agreed "But you are too greedy to do that. You will take both the shipment and your reward, which will be your undoing. You should kill me while you have the chance to do so. If not, you will join your cousins in hell sooner than you expected. I am only letting you and your friends live because I would like to meet this Frenchman that you refer to. Your men never fooled me back there. If I believed the extradition order to be real I would have let McGraw fight it. I came with your men out of curiosity. I rented this car specifically so that we could have some privacy should I decide to kill you."

Marcus laughed "You really are crazy Frenchman, as well as ugly."

"Not as ugly as you." Erik sneered.

The man lunged at him, and Erik rose up unmanicled and used the chains to grab Marcus and then strangle him with them until he fell lifeless into a massive heap before him. He looked at the two 'deputies' who cowered in fear, now that their boss was gone. The third had left to find a sheet, but Erik had no doubt that he would cower in the same way upon his return.

Erik took the dead man's gun and picked it up and aimed it at them. "Do you want to join him in hell?"

"No." they replied in unison.

Erik smiled "Good then, take your guns and kick them over to me and hold your hands up high where I can see them."

They did as they were asked very nervously.

"You will not hurt us Mr. Destler, please? Marcus was our leader. He forced Ames and I to join his gang, Parker too. He said that we had a choice either to help him, and he'd share a little of what we took with us, or refuse and he would kill us and our families. Since there have been no lawmen in the area for the past six months we joined him. We needed the money too. You killed two of his cousins who were his real cohorts in crime." Foster told him. "He still has several more cousins helping him, plus eight to ten other men like us."

Erik pointed to Marcus' body. "Pick it up and throw it off of the train, and also hand me my mask and wig. I will not have you looking at me with my deformity exposed."

They timidly obeyed him first by returning the prosthetic and wig to him and then lifting Marcus' lifeless body.

Parker returned as they finished throwing the body off of the train. Erik trained his gun on him. "Drop your weapon and join your friends over there."

Parker dropped his gun and asked "What happened to Marcus?"

"I gave him his one way ticket to hell, which I will be glad to do to you and your friends here unless you cooperate with me." Erik warned.

"How did you get loose?" He asked. We had you shackled.

"Your former employer was not terribly bright. You clearly have only been wearing manacles in the past, not using them as a tool. They were very loose. I slipped out of them within moments of you placing them on my wrists. While Marcus was removing my prosthesis, I removed the key to the other fetters from his pocket." Erik told them.

"What I do next depends upon all of you. Would you like to join Marcus in hell?"

The three men looked at one another nervously and then back at Erik. None of them could look at him in the eye, as they were clearly all terrified of him, now that they had seen his monstrous face. For once he was pleased with his appearance, fear was a powerful ally.

"Let us off of the train, and we will not harm you, we will disappear. I swear." Foster offered.

"Perhaps, but first I have some questions for you. I had better hear the truth." Erik replied.

"Alright." Foster agreed.

"What was the Frenchman paying Marcus for me?" Erik asked.

"$1000.00 plus Marcus was going to take the ore shipment from the train." Foster told him.

"What was Marcus going to pay you from that?" Erik continued.

"$100 per person, our families all needed it to survive the winter." Foster replied. It was clear that he wanted to garner some sympathy for them, from Erik; but he showed them no signs of any emotion.

"Honestly sir, we meant you no harm. We have only worked with him for a few months ever since just after you killed his cousins."

Erik looked at all three of them and decided to use them for his own ends. He still needed to find the Frenchman, and discover who he was, and what sort of danger he represented. Hopefully it was the Comte himself and he could end the danger to his family once and for all. He also needed to know the size and extent of the Frenchman's 'employees'. If there were many of them he would have to put off his expedition to Paris, until he could make sure that Gustave remained safe. He was happier now more than ever that he told George to ask that Nadir wire Antoinette Giry to instruct her to search his old lair. Whatever she would find could determine the course of his future actions. With those thoughts in mind he turned to the three men.

"What if I gave you $500 apiece; and also honest well-paying work, would you help me apprehend the Frenchman?" Erik proposed.

They glanced at one another and then Foster replied "For that sort of money we would sell you our own mothers. That is more than we could make in months."

"You must pledge to be loyal to me and never again engage in any sort of illegal activities." Erik added.

"That would not be hard." Foster told him. "All three of us were simple homesteaders. Marcus forced us to do more. He used us to trap you because we looked more 'respectable' than his other men."

Erik laughed "'Respectable' men would not join a criminal gang no matter what the circumstances but I won't argue the point. At times in my life I have been less than 'respectable' myself.

Foster looked at him pleadingly "Please sir, you must believe us, we would serve you faithfully, if you let us live."

"As faithfully as you served Marcus no doubt. I will let you do so, at least for now, but to stay alive you must earn my trust. To start, you must disclose the names and locations of the other members of Marcus' gang to the new marshall. It is time that Madison is made safe for everyone who lives there."

"We can do that. We will be in danger from them already for helping you." Foster told him.

"I will get you a pen and paper and you can write them all down on the rest of our ride. If you leave anyone out, and your gang continues to rob and kill, I will personally hunt you down and torture and kill you. My vengeance is more hideous than my face. You do not want to anger me." Erik warned.

To Erik's satisfaction the men looked frightened. "Ok." Foster replied softly.

"I would also like to know, why did Marcus want George McGraw dead last summer?" Erik asked more evenly.

Foster told him "To terrify the town; It was his plan to take control of Madison, and the mines. In order to do so, he wanted George McGraw dead to strike fear in the hearts of the people there. He was going to step in and provide 'security' provided that everyone would agree to let him run the town as he saw fit, and then he would take over the mines. He would have gone after you eventually; even if you had not saved Mayor McGraw. He wanted to seize your mines. It was his dream to be the wealthiest man in Central Colorado but it is over now for him, thanks to you."

Erik smiled grimly observing "Marcus took on the wrong enemy when he tangled with me. I once terrified an entire country at the behest of its ruler. The three of you should take heed of that."

Once more Foster exchanged a fearful glance with his friends. "We have no reason to betray you. You are paying us far more than he is, and will be giving us honest jobs too."

Erik smiled and spoke to them pleasantly as if he were their older brother or father. He used his richly melodic voice to calm them. It would not do to have them in complete terror, they might run away, or try to kill him rather than help him. "I hope that you use this opportunity to redeem yourselves wisely, a life of crime is not particularly conducive to your chances of survival. None of you have a missing limb or a deformity, and you are all still quite young. It is why I am giving you this chance to change. If someone had given me such a chance at your age, I would have jumped at the chance of taking it. Unfortunately no one cared to do so, except for one Persian Chief of Police who recognized that I had some good in me, and sought to bring it out. He could not completely keep me from straying to the wrong side of the law because I had few honest options open to me. He helped me to change my fate by giving me his friendship, and pointing out a better path for me than the one that I had been pursuing."

The train pulled into a station marked Golden, and then a short time later, they heard a knock on the door. Erik looked at Ames who was standing closest to it "Open it."

A conductor handed him a telegram. "It is from the Marshall in Madison. He has said that it was urgent."

They thanked him and then Ames gave it to Erik. He opened it and read it and then showed it to Foster. "Received evidence of Mr. Destler's innocence. Judge McGraw has issued a writ of Habeas Corpus. Bring him back to Madison."

Erik crumbled the telegram and told them "We will do nothing of the sort. I still want to meet my compatriot and then turn the tables on him, only then we might return to Madison."

Erik turned to the conductor "Wait a moment; I have a message for Mayor McGraw. Erik walked to a desk in the room and scrawled out a note. When he was finished he told him. "Have the telegraph office send this right away."

A short time later the train started rolling again, carrying Erik closer to both France and Christine.

In the meantime, the telegram was sent and received a short time later by McGraw.

'Deputies' and extradition both fake. Have subdued and turned them. Meet me at the Windsor House hotel on the corner of Eighteenth and Larimer Streets tomorrow, in Presidential Suite. Have Darius pack my bag to leave for Paris immediately. Will wire Nadir from Denver. Erik"

Upon its receipt George first phoned the marshall, who was very apologetic for believing the men. "The papers and badges looked completely genuine. Whoever made them had access to someone in the government to obtain such perfect facsimiles."

"I wondered at how the process seemed to be completed so quickly and without notice to Erik. Even if they worried that the child was in danger, it did not make sense that Erik would not be detained and then given a hearing right away." George told him.

"I have never had to deal with such a matter prior to this. It did not really seem wrong to me that our government would not afford a foreign national a hearing prior to deporting him. Once I glanced at them, I just assumed that they were genuine. I thought that it was a lucky coincidence that they were on the train with me and that we bumped into one another when we did. I did not put much thought into it. We did not speak to one another very much, I was tied up with my family; but now that I think of it, how did they even know who I was?" The marshall mused. "You must think that I am a poor excuse for a marshall, I arrested and delivered one of the most prominent citizens of Madison into some sort of criminal gang's hands. I will resign and ask that they send another if you wish." Reddington told him.

"Don't be ridiculous marshall; it could have happened to anyone. In fact I am just as culpable as you. I am a Judge and an attorney and I thought that the papers were real, neither one of us has experience in these sorts of matters. It is not something that comes up very often at all in a small town in Colorado. Thank goodness that Erik seems to have it all under control. I am sure that he will brief me about it better when I see him in Denver tomorrow. I will bring Erik's associate, Nadir, with me so he will be able to tell you what happened should Erik and I continue to France. Perhaps I should take the nanny as well. He might need her as a witness once we get to France. Erik and I were heading to there anyway; we were scheduled to leave at the end of the week. I agree with Erik, we might as well head east early and get this business resolved." George told him.

"It would seem that a resolution is in order. This seems like a dangerous situation for your friend and his son." Reddington observed.

"It is, but I owe Erik my life and have pledged to help him. I will leave Jonah Wilkinson in charge of town affairs until I return. He is the retired Mayor and Judge of Madison." George told him. "The old man will be happy to do it. I think that he misses his old jobs. Until the Sheriff left and the gang started preying upon us the town was very easily managed. Hopefully now that you are here, you will be able to bring order back here."

"I will do my best. I promise you that despite my shaky start. Thank you for giving me another chance." Reddington told him.

"Just clean up this town and make it safe again and you will have my thanks." George replied.

"Good luck to you and Mr. Destler I hope that you have a swift and favorable resolution of his situation." The marshall told him.

"I know that we will. Erik is a very resourceful man. I am sure that he will prevail in the end. Whoever is behind all of this should be fearful. He is not a person to trifle with." George told him. The conversation concluded.

They hung up and then George went over to Erik's house and spoke with Nadir. They resolved to bring both the boy and the Nanny with them to Denver, so Gustave could say goodbye. George finally went home and spoke with his wife and explained that he would be leaving a little sooner than planned, but would hopefully return soon with Erik's bride in tow.

"If they are sending armed men to kidnap Erik then they must be quite dangerous George. Perhaps you should change your mind." She told him. "I will feel like I did back in Virginia for the whole time that you are gone. I will worry that you will never return and then what will I do?" she asked.

"I came back from the war." George told her. "I will come back from France in one piece as well. Erik and I will be in little danger really. We will only be there for a short time and then we will return. I have to help him. He saved us and now it is my turn. We are living on borrowed time to begin with, we should have died on that day that he saved all of us."

"George McGraw, I am afraid of your unwavering sense of honor. It will be the death of you someday you know. When will you be content to stay home with me and the children?" she asked softly.

"When I return; I want to be there to help Erik, the man has spent most of his life feeling as if he were somehow unworthy of either love or loyalty. He saved our lives, and I feel compelled to return the favor, even if I should die. If I do not fight for my friends in their time of need then I would be teaching the girls and Ezra to do the same. You know that when I went off to war that I did not believe that the South would win. I prayed that Virginia would stay out of it, like Kentucky and Maryland did; but when Virginia left the Union, I had to fight for her because Virginia was my home. Erik made himself part of our lives from the moment that he intervened to save ours. At the end of the day, honor and loyalty must trump caution or we are left with nothing worth living or dying for." George told her.

Victoria hugged her husband "You are a good man George, you always have been. I will pray for both of you to return safely from your adventure, just as I prayed for you when you went off to war. I guess that your passion for what you believe is what made me fall in love with you. I knew that you would be a loving and loyal husband and family man, and that is what you have been for so many years. Be careful my love." She told him.

"Of course darling; I have too much to live for, not to return to you safely."

They sat on a bench and watched as the weak winter sun, ducked behind the green and white mountains. They cleaved tightly to one another, they knew that it would probably be several months until they would be able to enjoy these moments together once again. Paris, the large and vibrant city of light, would be a far cry from the small town that was Madison.


	20. Chapter 20

Thank you to my recent reviewers Grandma Paula, kit kat, trrmo77, MarilynKC, TMara and my beta Judybear236. You all are the best. I would probably give up but for you. Also thank you to the increasing number of silent readers as well.

Chapter 20

The next morning Nadir was getting ready to leave when a telegram arrived from Paris. He tore open the seal and read Meg's words:

"_I regret to inform you of my mother's passing. I went in her place. I found Erik's violin and it is in excellent shape. Please advise if you would like me to store it or keep it where it is."_

_Baronesse Meg de Barbazac_

So it is true Christine is still alive Nadir thought. Erik and Gustave will be thrilled. He turned to the telegram boy who delivered the message and gave him one to send to Meg in return.

"_Our condolences on your mother's passing. Please keep the violin in place. Erik will send someone to fetch it when he can."_

_Nadir Khan_

Nadir decided not to tell Gustave just yet, in case something happened to Christine between now and the time that Erik could rescue her. He also did not tell Simone for different reasons revolving around his mistrust for her. He readied Gustave and then retrieved Simone from jail for the ride into Denver. He was reluctant to take them because of the potential dangers awaiting them in Denver, but he did not dare leave them behind either. If something should happen to Gustave, Erik would without a doubt kill did not trust the Nanny despite her conversion to their side. Her assurances that she would help did not comfort him in the slightest but he knew that Erik might need to take her to France to fight the allegations against him. With Christine alive to rebut any change of heart that the nanny might have he was willing to take that risk. He met with George at the Railroad station and they waited to board the early morning train to Denver. Victoria had come out to see her husband off. Nadir could see the visible tension between them.

As she hugged Nadir to say goodbye she whispered "Please tell Erik to keep him safe."

He looked at her and replied "Do not doubt his capacity to do so. Erik would sacrifice his own life to save George, or any of ours for that matter. He has had so few genuine friends in his life that he holds the few that he does have, in great esteem. George will come home to you. You have my word."

"Thank you." she replied. "That does make me feel better."

They boarded the train and watched her wave as they headed towards Denver and eventually to France. It was the same route that Erik took the day before. They hoped that he had a good plan for getting to Christine, and the bank and bringing her back to Madison safely. The Comte had made matters difficult for Erik, regardless. He would have to do something to counteract the man's influence. He had made a brilliant prima fascia case for Erik's guilt, and given Erik's past crimes a court could decide to overlook any evidence to the contrary. Nadir wondered whether it might be time for Erik to contact his family, and make peace with them. Erik never revealed to him who his relatives were only that he was a Comte by birth but he let his younger brother take the title. He had revealed to Nadir that his brother had, at one time, been looking for him but he chose not to respond.

_At the time Erik told Nadir bitterly "My brother clearly placed the ad to make sure that there would be no pretenders to the title popping out of the woodwork and nothing else. I heard my father tell him that I did not even appear to be human, and that he should stay away from me lest I hurt him"_

_Nadir had tried to get him to reconsider by saying "Erik you were both children at the time. Perhaps your brother would honestly like to find you and make amends for how you were treated as a child. This is your chance to have a family, a real family that loves you. That is what you always wanted to be loved for yourself and be surrounded by love. Why turn your back on your dream when there is a chance that it could come true."_

_Erik mocked him "Yes, I should go to this man, and tell him that I am his long lost brother. 'Oh and by the way, I am also the Phantom of the Opera, and I have killed close to a thousand men, and extorted money from others. Would you care to examine my face, it looks like the corpse of our dead father, but it is a pleasure to meet you."_

_Nadir had given him one last glare but shrugged his shoulders in defeat "You make yourself even lonelier than your fate decrees you to be. I can understand that you have been hurt and rejected too many times to trust people easily, but you seem to revel in torturing yourself and making your fate far worse than it needs to be. Why not try? If you are right you can obtain bragging rights over me for being so. If you are wrong then you gain your family. If you follow my advice you cannot lose."_

_Erik looked at him proudly and dismissively "I already did long ago, and I do not want to make that mistake again. I will never contact them, not even if I am on my death bed and need to make a clean confession. My family did not accept me when I was an innocent child, they would be mortified to find out who I am now. My father was right to tell my brother to stay away from me back then. I will honor his wishes to the end."_

"_Yet you are my friend and have other friends despite who you are and what you did in the past." Nadir reminded him._

"_You and the others befriended me despite who I am. It astounds me that you all would have such poor judgment to do so; but I accept your friendship because even a monster like me cannot live without some sort of human contact. If you are willing to put up with me and my horrible face and temper then I will avail myself of what you offer to me." Erik told him._

"_I should walk away from you right now forever for slandering our relationship. I would do so but I know that you are only teasing me." Nadir told him._

_Erik raised his visible eyebrow and replied sardonically "Am I?"_

That was the last time that Nadir had discussed Erik's family with him. It had been back in Paris around ten years before. Right before he began to become obsessed with Christine. Perhaps it was time to ask his proud friend about his brother again. If his brother was of the nobility perhaps he had some influence that could counteract that of the de Chagny family. He knew that Erik would never want to endanger Christine's life by revealing that she was still alive to the Vicomte's enemies but it could come down to that especially if Simone flipped once again. It would be the surest way to exonerate him but it would put Christine's life back in danger. Erik would never take that risk just to save his own life. The boy could also exonerate him, but again Erik would likely never allow him near Paris until the threat was over. Nadir had brought Christine's and the Vicomte's notes with him to give to Erik, as well as the key, but the de Chagny's could claim that they were clever forgeries. Again the de Chagny family's influence could suppress that. Raoul had once used the same influence to have Erik exonerated for crimes that he did commit. Philippe could use the same to destroy Erik. Although almost ten years had passed since the incident at the opera house, the terrible legend of the Phantom of the Opera remained.

So the moment, Erik's best hope for exoneration was still the perfidious nanny, who had already denounced him once, unless the key to Raoul's safe deposit box held some additional evidence to help him. Despite what he told Victoria, he wished that Erik would let him go to France with George, while Erik stayed behind. It would be the prudent thing to do, but prudence had never been Erik's strong point. A man that did not fear death, and who largely loathed himself, had little incentive to act prudently. Erik would close every door of escape open to him, to make sure that Christine, Gustave, he and even George would remain safe. He would have to speak with George about making sure that Erik did not do so so readily. He spent the rest of the train ride discussing the matter with George.

In the meantime Erik and his new men had arrived in Denver and checked into the Hotel. The 'deputies' were supposed to check in with the Frenchman at 8 am the next morning, bringing Erik along to hand him over to him. It would be too early for his trusted friends to help him so he would have to rely on his 'new friends' and the generous incentives that he gave to them to buy their loyalty. Erik decided on a simple plan which would not leave him exposed to any immediate danger. Two of the men would approach the Frenchman and one would hang back with him both as protection for Erik and as a hostage should he need one. He had observed the men and they seemed to be friends with one another. The two men who would approach the Frenchmen would change the deal by making it seem as if they were hiding him to extort more money. It was a way of Erik being able to observe the Frenchmen and ascertain his identity while buying time for his trusted friends to come and back him up. He would then follow the man back to wherever he was staying and later ambush him and his men. Erik hoped that it was the Comte himself, but he somehow doubted that the coward would come all the way to Denver and expose himself like that. It seemed more likely that the Frenchman was either a co-conspirator or a servant of the Comte. If so, Erik intended on interrogating him and then disposing him in whatever way that he deemed necessary. He hoped that his new 'friends' were not going to switch sides once again, if he had ever really turned them to start with. Fortunately the men knew that the exchange between Marcus and the Frenchman had been set for on the platform on the far end track 4 at Union Station close to the caboose car of the train. Those were the only details that the men knew. Marcus had not trusted the Frenchman either and they had already planned to hide two of the men behind an arch that had a clear view of the meeting place. Erik and Foster would hide there instead.

To attempt to cement their loyalty Erik treated them kindly for the rest of the ride into Denver. He bought them drinks and played cards with them. He spoke of the positions that he would give them to keep them on the honest side from there on out. In the end he felt that he had no choice but to attempt this plan. Erik resolved to hire some Pinkerton guards just in case because he was worried that something could go wrong. The men were not the most intelligent but they did fool the Marshall to begin with so he had to credit them with that. He prayed that they could fool the Frenchman in the same way. The man was a fool to hire criminals to begin with, Erik could have told him that honest men make better assets but Erik did not have the luxury of using honest men to trap the Frenchman. He could only hope that he could delay the Frenchman long enough for Nadir and George to arrive and help him. He did not want to risk them attempting a different plan to seize him again, which could endanger Gustave. Of all his musical, architectural and inventions that he had accomplished, his son was the only one that he was truly proud of.

In the meantime, in Paris, Meg received Nadir's response to her telegram. She decided to pay Christine a second visit to let her know that help was on the way and to stay where she was for the time being. She thought about a great deal on the ride over to the opera house. She could see that Christine was very lonely in the Phantom's lair. Meg could not imagine how she could stay sane and live in such isolation for more than a year. Christine was even more isolated than Erik was; at least he had her mother, Nadir and Christine to keep him company at times. She had no one, and no clear hope of rescue. Erik could watch the opera in box 5; Christine did not dare do so even in her Phantom clothing. She was forced to come out only in the late hours of the night, and scurry around for leftovers like a rat. Her face was among the better known in Paris, first due to her new found stardom when she had become a diva; then, because of her connection to the mysterious events involving her and the Phantom of the Opera; finally because of her fairy tale wedding to one of Paris' most handsome and eligible bachelors.

For years the newspapers and magazines had published photographs of the couple at various Parisian social events. It was not often that a beautiful girl of humble origins could catch the eye of a handsome nobleman, and become his wife, not his mistress. Meg too had snared a nobleman too, but her husband was not overly handsome, and was rarely in Paris due to his stints in the military. In their six years of marriage he had only spent around a year of it in Paris. He repeatedly promised her that soon he would be able to come back and take a teaching position at the Ecole Militaire in Paris. For a soldier such as him, promotions came more quickly in battle than anywhere else. Unlike the de Chagny's his fortune was dwindling, and had been since the French Revolution. Her mother-in-law, Amelie, was disappointed in Meg, as Robert's bride. She did not mind that Meg was a commoner, or even that she was a dancer, only that she brought no fortune with her.

Raoul on the other hand was fabulously wealthy, handsome and titled. He and Christine made a very striking couple. At the time of their marriage, the tabloids reported extensively on how the gallant Vicomte had rescued his bride from the monstrous and murderous Phantom, shamelessly exaggerating the circumstances until it made Erik sound like a horrible ogre bent on destroying half of Paris with dynamite and attempting to debase the poor helpless soprano. To their credit, both Raoul and Christine had tried to keep such stories at a minimum preferring their privacy. Still for years the paparazzi followed them to every social function that they attended, hoping to find out new information on the couple. Since their 'death' Erik's reputation had taken a further hit. It was now well known fact that the monster did rape the soprano, and it resulted in a child.

Since while they were alive, Raoul and Christine did everything in their power not to allow the paparazzi to photograph or follow Gustave, no photographs of the boy had ever been published. The publications made up for lost time by publishing drawings of the boy allegedly using descriptions gleamed from the couple's old servants where Gustave was drawn to look more hideous than Erik ever looked. His head became an open oozing skull, his hands were more like claws and his eyes were a feral yellow. It was said that the boy was so gruesome that no one could bear to come near him, but like his father, he was cunning and extremely intelligent. It was the only part of the description that resembled the true child.

Meg was glad that Christine had seen none of these new allegations about Gustave and Erik. She knew that the de Chagny's were clearly behind all of it. They wanted to sway public opinion away from any sympathy towards either Erik or the boy. Of course an appearance by the true Gustave would have done much to squelch these horrible rumors since Meg knew that he was not only normal but handsome. To some people's credit, several former friends of the Vicomte and Christine who had met Gustave, and whose children played with him did step forward to deny the allegations but the papers only published their protestations as footnotes. Portraying Gustave, and his father, as hideous monsters sold far more newspapers than did the truth. No one who could credibly deny the allegations was either present or alive to denounce them so they stood.

Meg hoped that if Erik was coming to France that he would don a good disguise to fool everyone. The only advantage to these stories about him was that the monster described as the Phantom bore little resemblance to the original since Erik had a normal physique, and an aquiline nose, on his handsome side. The papers never bothered to answer the question of how a man with claws for hands could play an organ and a violin so beautifully, but newspapers loved to print the sensational not necessarily the truth. Meg worried for her friend, and for Erik, that if the de Chagny's had so much influence that they could blacken the image of Erik and Gustave so easily; if Erik did come to France that they would ambush him here. She hoped that they understood what had been happening in France but she had no idea of what they did know. It was a shame that the mail was so slow, and telegrams were neither completely private nor efficient. If only she could phone them and let them know what was going on, but she couldn't. She needed to think of some way of neutralizing the de Chagny's. It was a shame that Robert was not in France, he might know of someone who could help them. Perhaps Christine would know, she had been more interactive with society than Meg had been.

With those thoughts in her head, Meg alit from the carriage several blocks from the opera house and bade her driver to return in several hours. She did not want to be seen there too soon after her last visit. She had purposely donned a very concealing cloak and hid her lush blond hair under the hood. She hoped that she would not come across Marie, who had seemed unduly over curious about her last visit. She had never liked that girl. As before, she carried her small derringer just in case someone there was lurking to harm her. She decided that she would ask Christine if there was another more private path down that would help her avoid running into people. She could not safely wait until after midnight when almost everyone would be asleep to go there because too many dangers lurked at light. She worried that people would wonder why she suddenly became enamored of the opera house that she had to come there so often all. It would not take long for people to remember her mother's strange relationship with Erik and put two and two together. She realized rather sadly that she could not go and see Christine very often without some other reason to go there. Perhaps she should risk Amelie's wrath by offering to return to her role as a ballerina until Erik could rescue Christine, but she was not sure that Robert would allow it if he were in the country. She was never that shallow that she needed to be wealthy; but at this point she wished that she were so she could simply be a patroness and come and go as she pleased and no one would second guess her.

She scurried into the opera house, and made her way to Christine's old dressing room. Fortunately no one paid attention to her. She looked like just another well-dressed gawker who would occasionally come in just to admire the marble and gilded interior. She saw Monsieur Fermin hurry off somewhere in the distance. He was too busy to notice as she slipped by. As the dressing room grew closer she became stealthier. She was grateful for her training as a dancer. She had always been light of foot and could dart away quickly if needed. She had to hide in the shadows once or twice as she made her way to the room, but she did so without having to talk to anyone. She hurried down the pathway to Erik's old lair, once again she had to pole the gondola, which was difficult for her to do given her small size but she made it across and called for her friend. Christine came out, and to Meg's shock she looked like a smaller version of Erik, dressed in his mask, wig and clothing.

Christine looked at her friend gleefully, and sounding almost like a playful child twirled around and letting the cape of her disguise swirl asked. "What do you think of my disguise? Do I look like Erik?" She lowered her voice into the best imitation of Erik's that she can do and said merrily "I am the Phantom of the Opera, you must obey me or else."

Meg laughed "Without a doubt, but he is much taller than you. You cannot truly resemble him unless you want me to bring you some stilts to wear under that cape."

Christine smiled "I never get close enough to anyone to worry about that. Erik once taught me a little of his ventriloquism. Little did I know at the time that it might come in handy. Of course my voice sounds nothing like his, but I can make all sorts of animal sounds, particularly rat noises. That usually is enough to scare off any potentially nosy ballet rats or any of such. For the men I weep like a damsel in distress and they scurry off looking for the poor girl, by the time that they return I am gone, with my food, or whatever other item that I might need. If it weren't for the lonliness and the danger involved I would rather enjoy that element of my time here. It is the only fun that I get to have here. I can see why Erik enjoyed playing tricks on people."

Meg laughed "Well I am glad that you are having some fun here. At least I know that you can still laugh like we used to in the old days before all the bad things started happening that drove us away from here. I missed you a great deal in the months following your marriage. I was sad that Raoul felt so uncomfortable with our friendship."

Christine looked at her friend mournfully at the mention of Raoul's name "He did not want reminders of Erik around. I think that even from the beginning of our marriage he knew that he did not hold my heart fully. I tried to forget about Erik, and what we had, but I couldn't. Then when Gustave was born, I knew right away that he was Erik's. Their eyes were the same. When they handed him to me and I looked into his beautiful aqua eyes I could see his father. Erik has always been convinced that there is not a handsome feature in either his face or anywhere, but that was never true, at least not for me. His eyes were the most soulful and brilliant that I had ever seen, even now."

Meg observed "Have you ever noticed that even when you speak of Raoul the conversation always drifts back to something about Erik. What you told me is true; you are still desperately in love with him."

Christine sighed "For so many years I tried, unsuccessfully, to put him out of my mind, but I never can Meg. He owns both my heart and my soul. Now that Raoul is gone I have even less reason to purge him from my thoughts and my soul."

"I have good news for you, he now knows that you are alive, and he will come for you." Meg told her. Meg pulled some newspaper cuttings from her purse and continued "But he is in grave danger, look at these and they will show you what I mean." She handed them to Christine.

Christine perused them and grew pale and angry "These are all lies. How could they do this? Raoul was their own brother and son and they knew what Gustave had meant to him. How could they humiliate him by spreading this filth?"

"Well you told me yourself that Philippe and maybe even his mother was responsible for Raoul's death. Why then would this surprise you?" Meg asked her gently.

Christine looked at her sadly "Well Gustave is no threat to them, not really, he is only a boy, and Erik lives so far away. They got what they want, most of Raoul's money and his title back. By the time that Gustave is grown it would be too late to challenge them, and he might not want to living in America. They don't have nobility there so the title would mean little there, unlike here."

"But they could ambush Erik when he gets here, if they find out that he is coming. If they are blackening his name so badly they are making it very dangerous for him to come." Meg told her.

Christine smiled "If they capture Erik, and attempt to try him for 'murdering Raoul and I' and kidnapping Gustave, I will come out of hiding to save him."

"Do you honestly think that Erik would let you do that for him? You know what he is like. He would want you to stay hidden, even if it means his death." Meg told her. "Besides if they knew that you were alive they might attempt to blacken your name, instead of a 'rape' they could say that you and Erik were in league all along foisting their child on Raoul so that he could inherit his title and money."

Christine looked at her ashen faced and urgently told her "Tell Erik not to come here. I will leave here and come to him, and then he will remain safe."

"Do you think that they will let you go? You are one of the most recognizable people in France someone might recognize you and harm you Erik would not want you to leave here without his help. He is an intelligent man; you must let him come up with a plan." Meg told her. "Perhaps he might already have one" she added.

"But can you be sure that he does Meg? He has not lived here in a long time. He may not be aware of the extent that his name has been blackened or Gustave's. How do you plan against a threat when you are not aware of the full extent of it? Besides you know that any plan that Erik does make will not factor in his own safety as part of it. Simply put he is not afraid of death. In fact he has always welcomed it as a friend." Christine told her.

Meg asked her "Do you have any influential friends? Anyone at all who could help us? Surely Raoul must have had some trustworthy friends that we could appeal to."

Christine replied "None that we could trust to help us, without worrying that they would go right to the de Chagny's." She looked at her friend bitterly "My own true 'friends' among the aristocrats were non-existent as I am sure yours are. Our notoriety did not help. Once I overheard one of 'my friends' tell another about how crass and vulgar Raoul's little songbird was.' I doubt that their husbands would be any better."

Meg replied indignantly "Crass and vulgar, that is the least accurate description of you that one could give. I have never known anyone more dignified and tasteful than you."

Christine hugged her "Thank you Meg that means a lot to me. I wish that we had stayed in touch. You are the only true friend that I ever had."

Meg smiled "Me too. I really miss you. If Erik does get you away we will be parted once more."

"But maybe he will want to stay here if we can clear him, or you could visit us in America. It must be hard to have Robert so far away all of the time."

Meg smiled "It is hard and lonely, but at least I don't have to hide down here. Robert will be home for good sometime in the near future. He has paid his dues and will be back in about six months. Then he will teach here at the Ecole Militaire."

Christine observed "He must really love you to have married you despite his need to make an advantageous marriage."

Meg replied wistfully "He does. It was love at first sight for both of us. He met me at the opera when he saw me dance and had to have me. I felt the same way. I wish that you could have come to our wedding but Raoul did not even want you to do that."

"I am sorry Meg I truly am but at that time Raoul was afraid that Erik would show up and kidnap me. He did not stop fearing that until we had a long talk after he found out that he couldn't have any children. I told him much about Erik that he did not know, and he realized then that Erik had relinquished me to him permanently. After that he started to have Erik's name cleared, instead of bringing him to justice."

"We need to do the same Christine, but how do we start? We do not have de la Croix to help us?" Meg told her.

"Then we will have to find someone else." Christine replied. She lapsed into deep thought.

Meg looked at Christine and laughed "Since you now look like Erik you will have to start thinking like him."

Christine replied wryly "Well I will not be making chandeliers fall or writing operas or making the Prima Donna sound like a toad."

The two old friends laughed and recalled many stories from the past. The old lair had not seen such laughter in a very long time, if ever.


End file.
